Kodak Black

Bill Kahan Kapri (born Dieuson Octave; June 11, 1997) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter, known professionally as Kodak Black. He gained recognition following the success of his 2014 song “No Flockin”, which led him to sign a recording contract with Atlantic Records. The song was released commercially as his debut single the following year and marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 two years later.

Kodak Black’s career has been marked by periods of mainstream success, as well as public controversies and legal issues. His legal troubles began in middle school and spiked crucially throughout the late 2010s. Black was accused of rape in 2016 and faced the charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in South Carolina. He was given a plea bargain in 2021 to the lesser offense of assault and battery and was sentenced to probation. In 2019, Black was arrested for making false statements to possess weapons and was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison; his sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump in 2021.

While incarcerated, Kodak Black released his third album, Bill Israel (2020), which saw less promotion and commercial success. His fourth album, Back for Everything (2022), marked his commercial resurgence as it was preceded by the single “Super Gremlin,” which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. His fifth and sixth albums, Pistolz & Pearlz and When I Was Dead, were both released in 2023.

Kodak Black was born in Pompano Beach, Florida, the son of Haitian immigrant Marcelene Octave. He started rapping in elementary school and began recording music at a local trap house after school. He spent his youth reading thesauruses and dictionaries to further his vocabulary and frequently participated in brawls and breaking and entering with his friends. He was expelled from school in the fifth grade for fighting and was arrested for auto theft while in middle school. About his upbringing, he said that he was given two options: “sell drugs with a gun on his hip or rap.”

From the age of six, Kodak Black used the nickname “Black” and later added “Lil’ Black”. When he joined Instagram, he chose the username “Kodak Black” because he associated the name with pictures. This later became his stage name when he started to rap and is the name favored by his fans.