Rapper JayDaYoungan Shot and Killed In Louisiana at 24 Years Old
Louisiana rapper JayDaYoungan was shot and killed in his home city of Bogalusa Wednesday night (July 27), Bogalusa police confirmed via social media. He was just 24 years old.
Born Javorius Scott, the “23 Island” artist was reportedly shot multiple times. He was with family member Kenyatta Scott Sr., who was also shot on the scene and is currently in stable condition at a nearby hospital.
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New Orleans CBS outlet WWL-TV reports that police believe the gun violence was retaliatory, though their investigation into the rapper’s death is ongoing. He was reportedly connected to gang rivalries in parts of rural Louisiana, and he’d been sentenced to prison in June for possession of a firearm while under indictment for a felony crime in Harris County, Texas. In September 2021, he was booked by police on a warrant for accessory to second-degree murder and obstruction of justice for allegedly helping a key murder suspect in a Roseland shooting evade law enforcement.
JayDaYoungan first entered the rap scene in 2017, when he released mixtapes Ruffwayy and The Real Jumpman 23. He found wider fame with later projects Forever 23, which peaked at No. 86 on the Billboard 200 in 2018; Endless Pain, which peaked at No. 70 in 2019; Misunderstood, which peaked at No. 43 in 2019; and Baby23, which peaked at No. 46 in 2020. All four of the albums charted on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ranking — Misunderstood and Baby23 reached No. 20 and No. 23, respectively, on the Top Rap Albums chart. Scott’s most popular single on Spotify, “23 Island,” hit No. 17 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and has earned 371.5 million on-demand official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.
Peaking at No. 28 on the Emerging Artists chart in 2020, JayDaYoungan’s catalog has earned 2.3 billion on-demand official U.S. streams, and his albums have amassed a combined 1.1 million equivalent album units, according to Luminate.
Scott occasionally posted photos with his young son on Instagram, and celebrated Father’s Day with him five weeks prior to his death. “Thanking God for letting me experience today with my favorite,” he wrote. “Couldn’t ask for more but peace. Happy Father Day the real ones.”
In June, Scott dropped a music video for a track titled “First Day Out PT2 (Influential Freestyle),” and in March, he released a nine-track EP titled All Is Well. In a post announcing the EP, he wrote: “’To all my fans… Appreciate y’all’s support while I’ve been away. All Is Well, see you soon’ -23.”
