Kodak Black

Kodak Black was born Dieuson Octave and was raised by his mother, Marcelene Octave, in Golden Acres, a public housing project in Pompano Beach. His family is of Haitian immigrant background. He developed an interest in songwriting at C. Robert Markham Elementary School and read dictionaries and thesauruses to expand his vocabulary.

He began rapping in elementary school and recorded music at a local trap house after school. At age 12, he joined the rap group Brutal Youngnz under the name J-Black, later becoming affiliated with The Kolyons. He was also a childhood friend of professional football player Lamar Jackson, and the two attended elementary school together.

He had used the nickname Black since childhood and also went by Lil' Black. He adopted the name Kodak Black after choosing the username for his Instagram account, connecting the Kodak brand with photography. He legally changed his name from Dieuson Octave to Bill Kahan Kapri in 2018.

Kodak Black released his first mixtape, Project Baby, in December 2013. It was followed by Heart of the Projects in 2014 and Institution in 2015. The songs "No Flockin" and "Skrt" brought him wider attention, and he signed with Atlantic Records in October 2015.

Drake helped increase Kodak Black's visibility in 2015 by posting a video of himself dancing to "Skrt." Kodak Black later received further attention through the mixtape Lil B.I.G. Pac, which became his first project to appear on Billboard charts. In 2016, he was selected for XXL's Freshman Class.

His breakout single "Tunnel Vision" was released in February 2017. It reached number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, becoming his first top-10 hit. His debut studio album, Painting Pictures, followed in March 2017 and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.

Kodak Black released the mixtape Heart Break Kodak on Valentine's Day in 2018. His second studio album, Dying to Live, arrived in December of that year and became his first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200.

The album featured "Zeze," a collaboration with Travis Scott and Offset. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a sextuple-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Dying to Live also included appearances by Lil Pump and Juice WRLD.

While serving a prison sentence, Kodak Black released his third studio album, Bill Israel, in November 2020. After his release, he issued the mixtape Haitian Boy Kodak and collaborated with Lil Yachty on "Hit Bout It." His 2021 single "Super Gremlin" became another major hit, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and appearing on Back for Everything, which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.

His later projects included Kutthroat Bill: Vol. 1, Pistolz & Pearlz, When I Was Dead, and Just Getting Started. He also appeared on Kendrick Lamar's "Silent Hill" from Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Kodak Black's music draws on Southern hip-hop, trap, and gangsta rap. His songs frequently address criminal experiences and the conditions of growing up in a poverty-stricken environment. He has identified Boosie Badazz and Chief Keef as influences, while critics have noted his youthful voice, distinctive sound, and emotionally direct observations.

He has often been associated with mumble rap. His work has also included songs about his Haitian identity, including the mixtape Haitian Boy Kodak, whose cover art expressed Haitian pride.

In addition to music, Kodak Black has acting and screen credits. He is known for appearances connected with The Fate of the Furious (2017), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023), and Fast X (2023).

Kodak Black encountered the legal system repeatedly before and during his rise to prominence. He was placed in a youth detention center three times in one year and faced arrests in Florida between 2015 and 2017 involving robbery, drug, weapons, probation, and related charges. He received periods of incarceration, house arrest, probation, and community-service requirements.

In 2018, he was sentenced to 364 days in prison after pleading guilty to weapons and marijuana charges connected with a raid on his Florida home. He was released in August 2018. In 2019, he was arrested on federal charges related to making false statements on firearms paperwork and later received a 46-month prison sentence. President Donald Trump commuted that sentence in January 2021.

Kodak Black pleaded guilty in 2021 to a lesser charge of first-degree assault and battery in a South Carolina case and received 18 months of probation. He later completed a 90-day rehabilitation program after failing a drug test. Subsequent arrests included a 2022 oxycodone-trafficking case, a 2023 cocaine-possession case, and a 2026 arrest in Orange County, Florida, on an MDMA drug-trafficking charge.