L.A. Rapper MoneySign Suede has apparently been stabbed to death while in the shower, according to his attorney — he was only 22 years old.
The L.A. Times reports that on Tuesday (April 25), a local rapper named MoneySign Suede (real name Jaime Brugada Valdez) was found unresponsive “with injuries consistent with a homicide,” according to a statement obtained from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
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“People are very shocked,” said Valdez’s attorney, Nicholas Rosenberg. “He was a very popular guy, very mild-mannered. People loved him.”
Rosenberg noted that the rapper had been attacked in prison previously. On Tuesday night, officials called Rosenberg to inform him of his death.
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For the time being, the correctional facility said it has limited movement within the prison in order to facilitate the investigation.
“They said it was a stabbing to the neck,” Rosenberg said. “They said they’re investigating.”
There are more than 4,000 minimum- and medium-security inmates at the correctional training facility where Valdez was housed.
Another prisoner at the facility (who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation), told the L.A. Times that the news spread early Wednesday when the prison locked down parts of the complex and delayed breakfast.
According to the prisoner, the killing occurred in an area that houses general population inmates. In his view, there is no reason why a popular rapper should not be housed in a sensitive-needs yard that protects those with specific safety concerns.
The rapper was serving a 32-month sentence for gun charges in Riverside County, according to his lawyer. He also faced a gun charge in Los Angeles County.
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He had already pleaded guilty and was expecting to receive a two-year sentence, which would run concurrently with his Riverside convictions. After surrendering in December, he was sent to Soledad state prison.
Suede gained fame for his music when he was 18 years old. He made waves with his song “Back to the Bag,” which reflected on his personal traumas over relaxed piano chords.
After signing with Atlantic Records in 2021, Suede released his latest album Parkside Baby last September.
