Ksoo

Ksoo (born Hakeem Robinson; also stylized Ksoo 23) is a Jacksonville, Florida drill rapper whose catalog is best known for the 2020 album Violent Child and a cluster of singles including “Been Dead,” “Back to Back,” “No Mind,” “Dead Opp’6s,” and “Step on Sum (feat. JayDaYoungan).” On **July 31, 2025**, a Duval County jury found **Ksoo** guilty of **first-degree murder** in the January 2020 killing of **Charles “Lil Buck” McCormick Jr.**; co-defendant **Leroy “ATK Scotty” Whitaker Jr.** was also convicted. According to the State Attorney’s announcement, both men face mandatory life sentences, with a hearing set for **September 8, 2025** to schedule sentencing. A separate case tied to the **2019** killing of **Adrian “Lil Bibby” Gainer Jr.** remains pending as of August 2025.

Ksoo

Name	Ksoo
Background	solo_singer
Alt	Ksoo appearance In music video " Ksoo Bitch"
Birth Name	Hakeem Robinson
Alias	Ksoo 23
Birth Date	1998-11-09
Birth Place	Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Origin	Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop; Florida drill
Occupation	Rapper, songwriter
Years Active	2019–present (primary releases in 2020)
Associated Acts	Yungeen Ace; JayDaYoungan; King Von
Label	ATK; Cinematic Music Group (select releases)

Overview

Within Jacksonville’s drill scene, Ksoo built momentum via tightly edited, menacing tracks and a 2020 run that culminated in the album Violent Child. Platform listings highlight collaborations with **Yungeen Ace** and **JayDaYoungan**, alongside signature cuts like “Been Dead,” “Back to Back,” “No Mind,” “Dead Opp’6s,” and “Bang It Out.” The YouTube video for “Been Dead” served as a key visual anchor for the era, framing **Ksoo**’s persona with stark, street-level imagery.

Concurrently, Ksoo’s stage name became widely reported in connection with two homicide cases. The first went to trial in **July 2025** and ended with a **guilty** verdict; the second (from 2019) remains pending at the time of writing.

Early life and background

Publicly available sources emphasize the music and legal proceedings rather than detailed biography. Official music-service profiles list him as **Hakeem Robinson**; no middle name is consistently used across authoritative sources. This article therefore centers on verifiable release data and primary court/public statements.

Music career

2019–2020: Singles and Violent Child

The core **Ksoo** discography arrived in **2020** across major DSPs. Apple Music’s pages for the artist and the album Violent Child list tracks such as “Been Dead,” “ViolentDonDada (feat. Yungeen Ace),” “Back to Back,” “Step on Sum (feat. JayDaYoungan),” and “Can’t Think (feat. JayDaYoungan).” “**Back to Back**” is dated **September 4, 2020**, and Apple cites **Cinematic Music Group** as the record label for that single; songwriting credits list **Hakeem Robinson** on the track page. The “**Been Dead**” official video on YouTube amplified discovery and remains a common reference point when profiling the artist’s sound and era.

2021–2024: Slowed output, ongoing streams

As legal issues escalated, new releases slowed. However, **Ksoo**’s pages on Apple Music and Spotify continued to circulate the 2020 cuts through editorial and algorithmic playlists, with audience engagement clustering around “Been Dead,” “Back to Back,” “No Mind,” and “Step on Sum.”

2025: Trial and national coverage

In **July 2025**, televised streams and local outlets covered the **Lil Buck** case as prosecutors presented witnesses including **Abdul Robinson Sr.**, the defendant’s father, who testified for the state under a plea agreement. On **July 31, 2025**, jurors returned a guilty verdict on first-degree murder for **Ksoo** and guilty verdicts for co-defendant **Leroy Whitaker Jr.** (first-degree murder and burglary with assault or battery). The State Attorney’s office noted both men face mandatory life sentences, with sentencing to be set at a later date; a court hearing on **September 8, 2025** was scheduled to set sentencing.

Musical style and influences

• • Ksoo**’s recordings fit the Florida drill profile: hard 808 sub-bass, clipped verse structures, chant-ready hooks, and terse, menacing synth lines. The **Violent Child** tracklist balances antagonistic flexes (“Been Dead”) with collaborative cuts that situate him within a larger street-rap network—most notably, **Yungeen Ace** and **JayDaYoungan**, both known for unvarnished narratives. The tight 2–3 minute runtimes match the “replay-optimized” format prevalent in 2020 street-rap distributions.

Legal issues

On **January 2020**, **Charles “Lil Buck” McCormick Jr.** was shot and killed in a Jacksonville ambush. Investigators later charged **Hakeem “Ksoo” Robinson** and **Leroy “ATK Scotty” Whitaker Jr.** with the homicide. After multiple delays, trial proceedings began in **July 2025** with live video coverage. During testimony, **Abdul Robinson Sr.** identified his son; prosecutors also presented surveillance and corroborating witness accounts. On **July 31, 2025**, a jury convicted **Ksoo** of **first-degree murder**; Whitaker was likewise convicted of first-degree murder and burglary.

A **separate case** pertaining to the **2019** killing of **Adrian “Lil Bibby” Gainer Jr.** remains pending as of **August 2025**.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Title	Label	Format(s)	Notes
2020	Violent Child	ATK	Digital download, streaming	Includes “Been Dead,” “Back to Back,” “ViolentDonDada (feat. Yungeen Ace),” “Step on Sum (feat. JayDaYoungan).”

Singles & EPs (lead artist)

Year	Single/EP	Label	Notes
2020	“Been Dead”	ATK	Single/video aligned with the Violent Child roll-out.
2020	“Back to Back”	Cinematic Music Group / ATK	Released Sep 4, 2020 (Apple Music).
2020	“No Mind”	ATK	Listed in artist Singles & EPs (Apple Music/Spotify).
2020	“Dead Opp’6s”	ATK	Standalone single visible on the artist pages.
2020	“Step on Sum (feat. JayDaYoungan)”	ATK	Collaboration single as part of 2020 run.
2020	“Can’t Think (feat. JayDaYoungan)”	ATK	Listed on Apple Music (song/album context).
2020	“Bang It Out”	ATK	Commonly grouped with the 2020 singles across platforms.
2020	“Kick Door”	ATK	Appears under Singles & EPs on Apple Music.

Notable album cuts

Year	Track	Primary artist	Featured artist(s)	Notes
2020	“5Stars”	Ksoo	King Von	From Violent Child (Apple Music track list).
2020	“ViolentDonDada”	Ksoo	Yungeen Ace	From Violent Child (Apple Music track list).
2020	“Brothers”	Ksoo	—	From Violent Child (album cut).

Appears on (selected)

Year	Title	Primary artist	Platform/Label	Notes
2020–2025	Various playlist/“Appears On” entries	—	Apple Music / Spotify	Artist pages show radio & appears-on placements over time.

Music videos (selected)

Year	Title	Notes/Source
2020	“Been Dead” (official video)	YouTube official video tied to the album roll-out.
2020	“Back to Back” (audio/video variants)	Circulated via Apple/YouTube platform listings.

Release timeline

Year	Project type	Title
2020	Singles & EPs	“Been Dead” • “Back to Back” • “No Mind” • “Dead Opp’6s” • “Step on Sum (feat. JayDaYoungan)” • “Can’t Think (feat. JayDaYoungan)” • “Bang It Out” • “Kick Door”
2020	Album	Violent Child (11-track set incl. features from King Von and Yungeen Ace)

Streaming profiles

Platform	Artist page
Apple Music	Ksoo on Apple Music
Spotify	Ksoo on Spotify
YouTube	“Been Dead” (official video)

Public image and cultural context

Coverage often situates Ksoo inside Jacksonville’s polarized rap landscape, where crew rivalries have spilled into music videos and lyrics. Local reporting has documented how certain releases appear to reference real-world tensions, drawing attention from both fans and law enforcement. Musically, **Violent Child** distills the Florida drill aesthetic—relentless low-end, intimidation-driven hooks, and compact runtimes meant for repeat plays.

2025 trial and verdict (Lil Buck case)

Major developments included:

• **State’s witness:** Testimony from **Abdul Robinson Sr.** identifying his son in the ambush video, pursuant to a plea agreement.
• **Verdict:** On **July 31, 2025**, jurors found **Ksoo** guilty of **first-degree murder**; co-defendant **Leroy Whitaker Jr.** was found guilty of first-degree murder and burglary with assault or battery.
• **Sentencing:** The State Attorney’s office noted both men face mandatory life sentences; a court date of **September 8, 2025** was set to schedule sentencing.

Pending case (Lil Bibby)

Separate reporting notes that **Ksoo** faces another prosecution related to the **2019** killing of **Adrian “Lil Bibby” Gainer Jr.** That case was pending as of **August 19, 2025**.

SEO / Discoverability

Because the stage name Ksoo overlaps with unrelated entities (usernames, acronyms, and artists in other regions), consistent metadata is crucial. Listing the full artist name (Ksoo / Hakeem Robinson), the album title (Violent Child), signature tracks (“Been Dead,” “Back to Back,” “No Mind”), and verified platform pages (Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube) improves search disambiguation. Referencing formal court statements (e.g., the State Attorney’s press release) also stabilizes biographical timelines across aggregators.