Bill Kahan Kapri (born Dieuson Octave on June 11, 1997), better known as Kodak Black, is a rapper from Pompano Beach, Florida. A rapper since the age of 12, Kodak first began to rise in popularity after Drake posted an Instagram video dancing along to Kodak’s song “SKRT.”.

In an Interview with Passion of the Weiss, Kodak explained that his rap name originated from the nickname “Lil' Black”. When he joined Instagram he chose the username “Kodak Black”, “…‘cause you know Kodak, that’s pictures and all that.” This later became his stage name when he started to rap and a name favored by his fans.

From 2013 to 2015, Kodak had begun to start rapping while releasing two mixtapes in the time period. On December 26, 2013, Yak released his debut mixtape titled Project Baby which grew in popularity from the rise of “Signs”. Following its release, almost a year later, Kodaks sophomore mixtape Heart of the Projects had released while containing one of the artists most notable tracks, “No Flockin.”

In October 2015, Yak was arrested for charges such as robbery, battery, false imprisonment of a child, and possession of cannabis, however, was subsequently released. Kodak then used his arrest to release his jail-themed mixtape, Institution.

2016 to 2017 was a bright, yet extremely inconvenient couple of years for Kodak. Releasing a total of 5 projects. Yak began his 2016 after being arrested in April 2016 in Hallandale Beach, Florida, and charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana, and fleeing from officers. He later began his musical year with the release of Lil B.I.G. Pac released on June 11, 2016; he earned features from Gucci Mane, PnB Rock, and Boosie Badazz, peaking at #134 on the Billboard 200. After this, he was arrested twice, again, in Florida.

In 2017, Kodak released two mixtapes and his debut album, Painting Pictures which peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200. However, this year was more of a negative, than a positive year for Kodak. He was arrested for violating his probation in February 2017 and was later indicted and set for trial in 2019. In May 2017, he was yet again arrested for violating his house arrest and sentenced to a year in Broward County Jail. Attaining an early release, on June 5, 2017, it was set that he will remain on house arrest for one year, and five years of probation.

In January 2018, Kodak was arrested for multiple charges. Following his charges, Kodak released his valentines day special mixtape, Heart Break Kodak which peaked at #25 on the Billboard 200. Just over a week later, his January charges were dropped. In April 2018, Kodak plead not guilty to several charges and was sentenced to a year with credit for time served. He was then released in August 2018.

Following his release, his almost chart-topping song, “ZEZE” featuring Offset and Travis Scott, the track peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it his highest-charting song yet. The track was featured on Yak’s December 2018 sophomore album, Dying to Live which peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200.

In November 2019, following an extremely bad leal year for Kodak, being arrested on countless amounts of charges, he was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to lying on background paperwork while attempting to buy guns. This would highly affect the artist’s career.

Despite being incarcerated, Kodak’s third studio album Bill Israel contains features from highly notable artists such as Gucci Mane, Tory Lanez, Lil Yachty, and more. Taking a massive drop from his previous project, Bill Isreal peaked at #42 on the Billboard 200.

In January 2021, Kodak Black was given a presidential pardon by Donald Trump on his last day in office. Kodak received this alongside Lil Wayne while he was serving a 46-month sentence. To celebrate his freedom, he dropped a single titled “Last Day In”.

Prior to his release, Kodak released three projects, one being a youtube exclusive containing old songs; the most notable is his mixtape, Haitian Boy Kodak. Despite only gaining a little bit of relevance due to his release, Kodak appeared in articles almost every day concerning his beef with his longtime friend, Jackboy. His music bean to gain as much as relevance he had prior to his sentencing as he released “Super Gremlin” on his label mixtape, Sniper Gang Presents: Nightmare Babies.

On January 2022, Kodak was yet again arrested for trespassing, however, charges were later dropped. While building off of many viral moments.

Yak’s fourth studio album, Back For Everything was released on February 25, 2022. The album featured the viral hits “Super Gremlin” and “Love & War.”

Following the album, Kodak appeared on Kendrick Lamar’s highly acclaimed Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers several times leading to another top ten hit from “Silent Hill.” This would be followed by the release of his ninth mixtape, Kutthroat Bill: Vol. 1. Kodak’s final project with Atlantic Records, Pistolz & Pearlz was released in May 2023 prior to his transition to Capitol Records.

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