MIAMI — Rappers Fredo Bang and Lit Yoshi were arrested in Miami this week on warrants out of Louisiana on the eve of a large rap concert in South Florida, authorities said.
Both men are associated with a rap group called Top Boy Gorilla, or TBG, the Miami Herald reported. The group had been feuding with another Louisiana rapper, YoungBoy, who belongs to NBA (Never Broke Again), according to WBRZ.
Bang, 25, of Baton Rouge, whose real name is Fredrick Givens II, was arrested Thursday for a Louisiana parole violation, according to Miami-Dade County online court records.
He was scheduled to perform in the Rolling Loud rap festival in Miami Gardens, according to the Herald.
Top Boy Gorilla Rappers Fredo Bang and Lit Yoshi Arrested in Miami https://t.co/4xlUjJIQqf
— People (@people) July 23, 2021
Givens was on parole after pleading guilty to illegal use of weapons and simple criminal damage stemming from a 2015 shooting at a Baton Rouge apartment complex, The Advocate of Baton Rouge reported. He was arrested Thursday after police and federal agents found guns inside his Miami Lakes home and a stolen car, the newspaper reported.
Yoshi, 22, of Baton Rouge, whose real name is Mieyoshi Edwards, was arrested Wednesday on an out-of-state fugitive warrant and is awaiting trial in Baton Rouge, according to Miami-Dade County online court records.
Edwards was facing seven counts of attempted first-degree murder in Baton Rouge, The Advocate reported. He moved to Florida after posting bail last August, a move a Louisiana judge called “prudent” for his safety, the newspaper reported.
According to a prosecution filing, Edwards violated the terms of his release from jail by posting a YouTube music video, called “War with a Millionaire,” referencing his house arrest, the Herald reported. He had been instructed by the Louisiana court “multiple times” not to appear in a music video or release new music that contained his image, according to the newspaper.
Edwards’ attorney, Ron Haley, told People that the rapper’s warrant was for an attempted murder case in St. Tammany Parish, which had been “pending investigation.” The warrant came up during a bond hearing in Baton Rouge earlier this week, Haley said.
“There was not a warrant for his arrest at that time. This is not new criminal behavior for him,” Haley told People. “He has an ankle monitor. There’s no confusion of where he is at. I’ve been in communication with the prosecutors. I’ve been in communication with the police, throughout this whole process.”
Haley, who also represents Givens, told People he did not understand why authorities had probable cause to search the rapper’s home.
“He was arrested for a parole violation ... but he has not been arrested for those gun and stolen vehicle charges,” Haley told the magazine. “I’m confident to alleviate him of those violations and hopefully get him out of jail without extradition.”
In 2019, homicide detectives in Miami-Dade County wanted to speak with Givens and Edwards about their feud with NBA after someone in a passing car opened fire on YoungBoy -- whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden -- outside the Trump International Beach Resort in South Florida, the Herald reported.
During the exchange of gunfire, Gaulden’s girlfriend was wounded and three innocent bystanders were grazed, according to the newspaper. One stray bullet killed Mohamad Jradi, 43, a Hertz rental car employee who had just finished his shift across the street from the shooting, according to the Herald.
No one has been charged in the Miami-Dade shooting.
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