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Chicago rapper BloodHound Q50, whose legal name was reportedly Mikquale Cooper, was identified by multiple music outlets as the 22-year-old man killed while sitting inside a vehicle Sunday morning. Chicago police had not publicly identified the victim at the time of reporting.
THE WORD
Key information:
- BloodHound Q50 has reportedly died at 22 following a shooting on Chicago’s South Side.
- The shooting happened early Sunday in the 4200 block of South Wentworth Avenue in Fuller Park.
- Police said two vehicles pulled alongside the victim’s car before multiple gunmen opened fire.
- The victim was struck in the chest and shoulder and pronounced dead at the scene.
- CPD had not publicly identified the victim as Q50 at the time of reporting.
- Rolling Loud, DJ Vlad and members of the hip-hop community have posted tributes to the young rapper.
- Area One detectives are conducting a homicide investigation.
Chicago’s hip-hop community is mourning another young artist following reports that BloodHound Q50 was shot and killed Sunday morning. He was 22 years old.
BloodHound Q50, whose legal name was reportedly Mikquale Cooper, was identified by several national music publications and online tributes as the victim of a fatal shooting in Chicago’s Fuller Park neighborhood. However, the Chicago Police Department had not publicly released the victim’s identity at the time of publication.
According to ABC7 Chicago, a 22-year-old man was sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle in the 4200 block of South Wentworth Avenue when two vehicles pulled alongside him and gunfire erupted.
Police said the man was struck in the chest and shoulder. First responders attempted to treat him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The occupants of the two vehicles fled following the shooting.
Local reports differ on the exact time of the attack. ABC7 reported that the shooting happened at approximately 5:58 a.m., while CBS News Chicago reported that it occurred shortly before 4 a.m.
No arrests or descriptions of the suspected gunmen had been announced as of Sunday afternoon. Area One detectives are investigating the shooting as a homicide.
Although police did not identify the victim in their initial public statements, Complex reported that dispatch audio circulating online appeared to identify him as Mikquale Cooper and included a birth date matching Q50’s. That audio has not been presented by authorities as an official identification.
Reports of Q50’s death quickly spread across social media as fans, artists and music platforms began sharing condolences. Rolling Loud posted a tribute to the rapper, who performed at the festival’s Orlando edition earlier this year. DJ Vlad also remembered Q50 as an unusually prepared young artist following an interview between the two in 2025.
Q50 had recently celebrated his 22nd birthday on August 6 with the release of his nine-track project, Get Back or Die Trying. The project included songs such as “Too Stuck” and “Don’t Wanna Talk,” along with an appearance from his late collaborator BloodHound Lil Jeff, who was fatally shot in Chicago in 2024.
His death represents another painful loss for a Chicago rap scene that has repeatedly watched rising artists die before reaching their full potential. Artists including Lil JoJo, L’A Capone, OTF Nuski, Young Pappy, Capo, Tray Savage, FBG Duck, Edai and FBG Cash were also killed in shootings over the years. Other Chicago artists, including King Von, were killed outside the city, while Fredo Santana and Juice WRLD died from causes unrelated to gun violence.
Those distinctions matter. Each artist had a different life, career and story, and their deaths should not be reduced to a single narrative about drill music. Still, the losses have continued to raise difficult questions about violence, trauma, artist safety and the support available to young creatives attempting to build careers while remaining connected to their communities.
BloodHound Q50 was only beginning to experience the national opportunities his music had created. Now, instead of discussing what could have come next, Chicago is once again mourning another young life lost to gun violence.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information can submit an anonymous tip through CPD’s tip portal at CPDTIP.com.
SOURCES
- ABC7 Chicago: Man shot and killed while sitting in driver’s seat in Fuller Park
- CBS News Chicago: Man, 22, shot to death inside car in Fuller Park
- Complex: BloodHound Q50 reportedly shot and killed in Chicago
- HotNewHipHop: BloodHound Q50 reportedly shot and killed
- Vice: Chicago rapper BloodHound Q50 reportedly killed at 22
