Who is Lil Yee? Bay Area rapper reportedly wounded during an armed robbery at Hollywood recording studio

An armed robbery in East Hollywood Thursday left rapper Stacey Gilton aka Lil Yee with gunshot wounds. The 32-year-old Bay Area rapper was reportedly in the middle of a recording session at The Room Recording Studios on Los Angeles' 4550 Melrose Avenue when the perpetrator attacked.

According to Fox11, the Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department responded to the scene after 10 pm. The initial investigation reported that the victim received two bullet wounds on his chest and the offender took his Rolex watch.

The victim, later identified as the rapper Lil Yee, was admitted to a nearby hospital. His current condition remains undisclosed.

An LAPD Officer Drake Madison told the LA Times the suspect "fired several rounds at the victim". The offender was reportedly a Black male aged around 25, who wore a mask and was driving a white Audi.

Despite LAPD's attempt to contain the adjacent area and arrest the gunman, they fled the scene.

According to KTLA5, two people were taken into custody but it is unclear if they had something to do with the shooting and the robbery. The motive behind the crime is also unclear at the moment.

LAPD is currently looking into possibilities of a rival rapper engineering the attack.

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A brief look into Lil Yee's artistic journey so far

Born in San Francisco's Filmore, Lil Yee and his four siblings were raised by their mother Mercita. His brother, Najee Harris, plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL. Stacey Gilton's father, Big Yee, formed a musical group, G-Affair, with his brothers and they performed in funerals.

Unlike his father, Lil Yee was more inclined to freestyle from his teenage years.

He reportedly faced several gun charges and served some time in prison. The rapper was said to have accepted a plea deal to raise his two daughters. With guidance from his uncle ChiAli, Yee found his way back to life.

In a 2022 interview with Passion of the Weiss, Yee reflected on his legal ties and how his daughters grounded him:

"Mothaf***as say something and I'm ready to wild out, but in the back of my mind, "Sh*t, I've got to make it home to these two little girls." It taught a n***a a different perspective on life."

Yee added:

"If you've got kids at home, you’ve got to think of them before you think of yourself."

Yee released the single War in 2016, his first hit. His debut album Cita Son arrived the following year. The father of two released his next album Live 4 It, Die 4 It in 2019.

The death of Yee's uncle made an impact on his music, as he put his own projects on hold to dedicate an album to ChiAli.

As a tribute to his late uncle, whom he called his "role model", Lil Yee released ChiAli in his 2021 album Unbreakable, featuring 12 other tracks. The album also features collaborations with other artists, including PnB Rock, Babyface Ray, Lil Pete, Lil Bean, Shaun Sloan, Rexx Life Raj, and TEC.

Lil Yee also takes care of ChiAli's three children.