SSGKobe has been dropped from his record label following sexual assault allegations levied against the 19-year-old rapper in late 2022.
Taking to his Instagram Story on Sunday (May 28), Kobe acknowledged that he’s been keeping a low profile both in music and his online presence since the accusations – explaining that his team had advised him against it. But he wants to speak out as he feels he’s been “completely bashed and tarnished publicly.”
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“Hey guys. I haven’t really addressed the whole situation publicly and that is mainly because of me being advised not to do so by team, I would’ve liked to say something sooner but I am speaking on it today,” he wrote. “There has been no case, and my name has been completely bashed & tarnished publicly.”
“A misconception of future relations and feeling lead on may have caused hurt which is understandable but in the end things were misrepresented to the public and essentially caused a negative impact to my career, and to my mental state. I do want to apologize to my fans for not communicating things properly as I’ve had many things going on in my life. I love all my fans and want to continue to change the world with my music.”
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He continued: “As far as music goes, I’m currently no longer signed to a label due to the accusations, which is another reason for the delay of drops which is going to change asap. I appreciate the support and love that I have been receiving and I can’t wait to give you guys a project I feel you will love. Have a great day.”
Check out SSGKobe’s statement below:
SSGKobe’s career stalls as label drops him over sexual assault allegations https://t.co/52WCdDsvQrpic.twitter.com/OvYieYa6Ym
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) May 29, 2023
The alleged victim, an artist named Ka$hkenni, came forward with the accusations in late December and claimed the rising rapper (real name Tyreek Solomon Pelleri) forced her into having sex with him in a soundproof studio room the month prior.
In a post shared by NoJumper a few weeks later, the “MIA” rapper denied the allegations against him, and said his parents raised him to always respect women.
“As there has been a lot of information and disinformation going around about me I feel the need to address my fans,” Kobe began. “My parents raised me to always respect women, I practice this each and every day and will continue to live my life abiding by that. Unfortunately, a private matter of consensual sexual relations between two consenting adults has turned into a defamatory public matter against me.”
He continued: “The picture being painted is not based on facts. I apologize that my desire to not have a long term relationship with someone was not properly communicated by me, resulting in a false resharing of events. I will leave this matter to be further addressed by my legal team.”
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Ka$hkenni had previously detailed the alleged incident in a series of Instagram posts, while also adding multiple screenshots of a text exchange between SSGKobe and her both before and after the alleged assault. (Ka$hkenni’s Instagram account has since been taken down.)
The Louisiana-bred rapper shot to fame last year with his song “Thrax,” which went viral on TikTok and earned him his now-defunct deal with Columbia Records.
