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Bill Kahan Kapri, more popularly known as Kodak Black, is a rapper from Pompano Beach, Florida.
A rapper since 12, Kodak’s rise in popularity began after an Instagram video showed Drake dancing to Kodak’s song SKRT. Drake is a famous Canadian rapper whose hit songs include Hotline Bling, Nice for What, Take Care, and Child’s Play.
Despite his early success in the rap scene, Kodak, whose hit songs include Love & War, Super Gremlin, and ZEZE, was hounded by legal troubles and arrests for numerous charges.
What were the charges that got Kodak Black arrested? Did he violate his arrest conditions? Did Kodak attend any counseling or rehabilitation for his crimes?
This article addresses these questions and provides a timeline showing the American rapper’s criminal history. This article also discusses President Donald Trump’s actions regarding Kodak’s case.
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Is Kodak Black Still in Trouble With the Law?
As of June 2023, Florida rapper Kodak Black has a pending drug trafficking case. Early that month, an arrest warrant was issued for Kodak after he failed to appear for a drug screening, prompting his arrest.
In July last year, police arrested the rapper at a traffic stop after they allegedly found over 30 oxycodone pills and $75,000 on him. Black posted bail the next day.
Oxycodone is a narcotic analgesic (pain reliever) taken orally or intravenously and can cause euphoria or relaxation. This drug has a high abuse potential. An overdose can cause extreme drowsiness, fainting, muscle weakness, coma, and possible death.
Fast forward to February 2023, the court issued him an arrest warrant after he failed a drug screening. But instead of serving jail time, the rapper had to take mandatory drug tests and attend a 30-day drug rehabilitation.
October 2015: Arrest for Kidnapping, Battery, and Other Charges
Kodak Black started trending in the Florida hip-hop scene at 18 after the debut of his breakout hit SKRT.
This rise to fame went hand-in-hand with Kodak’s first arrest when he allegedly forced several people into his car after suspecting someone had broken into his Broward County home.
Kodak was arrested on the following charges:
- Assault
- Kidnapping
- Robbery
- Driving with a suspended license
- False imprisonment
- Possession of marijuana
Marijuana is a mixture of dried Cannabis sativa flowers. It can be smoked using hand-rolled cigarettes, consumed for medicinal purposes, or mixed into foods. Marijuana contains delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical that can cause intoxicating effects.
Authorities released Kodak on bond soon afterward.
December 2015: Arrest for Marijuana Possession
Authorities arrested Kodak in St. Lucie County for possessing drug paraphernalia and less than two pounds of marijuana. This arrest came only two months after his previous charge of drug possession and other crimes.
February 2016: Arrest for Sexual Battery
Kodak got in trouble again in February 2016 for allegedly assaulting a young woman in Florence, South Carolina.
The woman said she accompanied the rapper to his hotel room after his Treasure City nightclub show. Upon entering the room, Kodak reportedly ripped her clothes off, bit her, and raped her. He was later charged with criminal sexual misconduct.
Sexual assault penalties can vary depending on the state statute. Many states consider sexual misconduct a misdemeanor and can result in fines, jail time, or probation.
In South Carolina, a first-degree criminal sexual assault is a felony punishable by imprisonment of up to 30 years.
April 2016: Arrest for Weapons Possession
After the Florence incident, Kodak allegedly bought marijuana from a dealer and drove away in his car afterward. When police attempted to pull him over, he reportedly tried evading arrest and threw a gun from his car.
Cops recovered the firearm, a loaded .40-caliber Glock 23 pistol, and arrested the rapper. He was charged with possessing a weapon by a convicted felon, possessing marijuana, and making several traffic offenses.
May 2016: Arrest in Broward County
Authorities arrested Kodak again, this time in Broward County, Florida. The arrest was in connection with open warrants related to the previous armed robbery and false imprisonment charges.
While Kodak was in jail, his outstanding warrants for the Florence criminal sexual misconduct case and the December 2015 marijuana possession charge finally surfaced.
August 2016
Kodak spent three months in jail before the court sentenced him in August 2016 to a one-year house arrest and five-year probation. His conditions included completing community service, community control supervision, and anger management programs.
Before Kodak was placed on house arrest, the open warrants for the drug possession charge in St. Lucie County stopped his release. Also, his criminal sexual misconduct charge in Florence changed to sexual battery. This offense imposes a 30-year imprisonment penalty.
South Carolina defines sexual battery as any act that forces sexual intercourse, oral sex, anal penetration, or intrusion of any body part of a non-consenting person.
September 2016
A month after his August 2016 sentencing, Kodak pleaded no contest to the drug possession case and received a 120-day prison sentence.
November 28, 2016
Authorities released Kodak from a St. Lucie County jail. Afterward, they extradited him to South Carolina to face his sexual battery case.
December 1, 2016
After Kodak posted a $100,000 bond for the sexual battery charge, the rapper was released from a South Carolina jail. In an Instagram post, he said he was finally happy to return to his family and friends and anticipated to clear his name soon.
Feb 2017: Arrest for Violating House Arrest, Assaulting Bartender
Kodax was arrested again after appearing in a Broward County court. His offense, this time, was violating his house arrest terms based on his May 2016 false imprisonment charges.
The rapper allegedly assaulted a bartender at Miami’s Club Climaxx in early February 2017. While no charges were formally filed against him, a woman identified Kodak as the person who punched and kicked her at the club.
April to May 2017: Angry Outburst, Sentencing in House Arrest Violation
Kodak’s legal troubles continued on April 21, 2017, when his anger management counselor reportedly asked him to leave the session due to him intentionally disrupting by burping continuously.
He was then accused of grabbing the counselor’s arm when she threatened to call 911 after he refused to leave.
On April 26, 2017, the court found him guilty of five counts of violating his house arrest.
On May 4, Kodak received his prison sentence of 364 days with a possible early release upon completing a life skills course. He was released after finishing the course and serving 97 days.
January 2018: Arrest for Weapons and Drug Possession, Child Neglect
Kodak had been having legal issues regarding his son’s child support. But after his release from jail, he kept clear of the courthouse for the rest of 2017.
On January 18, 2018, police got alerted to Kodak’s Instagram live stream. The video showed him in his Broward home with his child and surrounded by weapons and drugs.
Authorities arrested the rapper for the following violations:
- Two charges of possessing a weapon or ammo by a Florida delinquent adult felon
- Grand theft of a firearm
- Child neglect without great bodily harm
- Possession of over 20 grams of cannabis
- Two counts of parole violation
After a month, Kodak’s lawyers got his grand theft, possession of a weapon by a felon, and child neglect charges dropped.
April 2018: Sentencing for January Arrest
After pleading not guilty, Kodak was again sentenced to 364 days in prison for the rest of his January 2018 arrest charges. Since he received credit for the 90 days of jail time served, his scheduled release was moved to August 2018.
Kodak tried turning his life around during his stay in jail. He earned a general education development (GED) credential, mentioned writing a book on social media, and changed his legal name to Bill Kapri.
Soon after his release, Kodak got off probation and finally gained freedom. Things settled down for him at this time, and he continued releasing hit songs and collaborating with other artists.
April to May 2019: Arrest for Weapons Possession
Kodak’s life took a turn when U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents apprehended him and three others while crossing into Canada from New York. Authorities found marijuana and a Glock nine-millimeter pistol on him and took him to Niagara County Jail.
The rapper paid the $20,000 to $40,000 bond and walked out of the jail, covering his face with a fan of cash.
Less than one month later, Kodak got caught in Miami on weapons charges. He was about to come up the stage during the Rolling Loud hip-hop music festival when U.S. Marshals apprehended him for federal and state firearms violations.
November 2019: Federal Prison Sentencing
Kodak entered a guilty plea to the federal weapons charge and admitted to giving false information during a January 2019 gun purchase. In November of that year, he received a prison sentence of 3 years and 10 months.
Incarcerated at the Big Sandy high-security prison in Kentucky, Kodak often had heated arguments with guards. This scenario prompted him to file a lawsuit. He accused the prison staff of restraining and beating him for hours without bathroom access.
However, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) claimed prison staff had to restrain Kodak because he spit at a guard and was violent.
He Could Have Been Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison at Most
One report mentioned that Kodak could have received a maximum prison time of 10 years. However, his lawyers asked for 37 to 44 months or fewer. Meanwhile, the state pushed for 46 to 57 months.
In the end, Black received a 46-month sentence in federal prison, according to a Miami Herald report. He pleaded guilty to weapons charges from the May 2019 arrest before his Rolling Loud festival performance.
January 2021: Trump Sets Kodak Black Free
On January 20, 2021, then-President Donald Trump commuted Kodak Black’s sentence as part of a series of clemency grants during the president’s last acts in the White House. Trump’s press team mentioned the rapper’s past charitable donations to justify Kodak’s early release.
Kodak’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, a one-time The Apprentice contestant and vocal Trump supporter, praised this compassionate act. Cohen also claimed the rapper’s sentence was unfair.
April 2021: Sexual Assault Case Yields Probation
Trump’s clemency may have provided the rapper some relief. However, Kodak still had to face the pending sexual assault charge in the South Carolina state court for the alleged 2016 case.
South Carolina prosecutors argued Kodak violated his bond terms and that he should be brought to the state to face his sexual assault charge upon his release from federal custody.
In April 2021, Kodak struck a deal with the South Carolina prosecutors to plead guilty to a lesser charge and serve a suspended 10-year sentence. He received an 18-month probation and no additional jail time for the crime.
January 2022
On New Year’s Day of 2022, Kodak was arrested anew in Pompano Beach for trespassing. The arresting officer claimed Kodak was at a housing complex despite the Housing Authority of Pompano Beach banning the rapper from the property.
The ban was due to claims that Kodak disturbed residents during a previous visit in August 2021.
February 2022 Shooting
Members of Kodak’s entourage got involved in a fight near a restaurant in West Hollywood, California, where pop singer Justin Bieber was having an afterparty. This incident resulted in Kodak getting shot in the leg.
Los Angeles police said the shooting left three others injured while the suspect fled the scene.
July 2022: Broward Arrest
On July 15, the Florida Highway Patrol pulled Kodak over in Broward County after running the rapper’s vehicle plates. According to police reports, the vehicle had an expired registration.
After smelling a strong odor of marijuana, the troopers decided to search the vehicle. They found 31 oxycodone pills and more than $74,000 in cash.
February 2023
The Broward County painkiller pill case revealed that Kodak reportedly violated his bail terms. He failed to turn up for a drug test. Later, he tested positive for fentanyl.
Fentanyl is similar to morphine, typically used to help treat patients with severe pain. However, this prescription drug is sometimes made and used illegally. Fentanyl’s effects include the following:
- Extreme happiness
- Drowsiness
- Breathing problem
- Nausea
- Unconsciousness
- Confusion
- Sedation
- Constipation
Kodak participated in a court-arranged drug rehabilitation program. Afterward, his pretrial detention terms were reinstated.
The Court-Mandated Drug Rehab for Kodak Black, Who Allegedly Had Fentanyl in His System
Kodak tested positive for fentanyl on February 8, 2023, after missing his required drug test on February 3. This incident prompted Broward County Judge Barbara Duffy to issue the rapper a bench warrant of arrest.
A bench warrant is issued to someone who fails to comply with a court order or follow court rules. This warrant differs from an arrest warrant, issued after gathering sufficient evidence of criminal activity and establishing probable cause.
The judge allowed Kodak to start rehab after the rapper’s performance at the Rolling Loud festival on the Hollywood Park grounds in Inglewood, California.
Kodak Black Is Arrested in Florida on Drug Charges
Kodak’s July 2022 arrest in South Florida on felony drug charges was among the latest in a series of the rapper’s legal challenges.
These troubles came even after former President Donald Trump commuted Kodak’s prison sentence for weapons charges. Trump granted clemency on his last day of office.
Rapper Kodak Black Booked and Got Out From Jail After a Recent Court Hearing
A June 2023 report from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, mentioned that Kodak was free to travel and tour despite his pending trial. This development came after his release from a South Florida jail.
Authorities freed Kodak on bond after his arrest on charges of oxycodone trafficking and possession of a controlled substance without prescription. Regular drug testing was a requirement for his release.
In a scheduled court appearance, Kodak’s lawyer, Cohen, requested increasing the bond instead of imposing multiple pretrial release conditions, including routine drug testing.
The judge’s approved the removal of pretrial release conditions. Cohen said his client turned himself in, posted a $250,000 bond, and was set free in under an hour.
Kodak Black Hits the Strip Club
On June 27, 2023, Kodak appeared at an unidentified Miami strip club following his release from a South Florida jail. The footage showed the rapper seemingly reciting song lyrics with some bystanders. He also showed off some dance moves while standing with a few ladies.
The rapper’s appearance at the club may come as a shock to some people familiar with his legal troubles involving his drug trafficking case.
Status Conference Held in Broward for Rapper Kodak Black
A status conference was held in August 2023 in Broward County for Kodak. The rapper got into trouble during the summer after reportedly failing to meet with pretrial services for a felony drug case.
Kodak was not required to attend this particular hearing. According to his attorney, the rapper was on a boat in Capri, Italy, at that time. Kodak’s next status hearing was on October 27.
References
- Oxycodone
https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/Oxycodone-2020_0.pdf - What is marijuana?
https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/what-marijuana - Sex Crimes: Definitions and Penalties South Carolina
https://apps.rainn.org/policy/policy-crime-definitions-export.cfm?state=South%20Carolina&group=3 - Fentanyl Drug Facts
https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/fentanyl