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Rayful Edmond III, a Washington D.C. drug kingpin who controlled a majority of the illegal cocaine trade in the state, has passed away today (December 18) at the age of 60.
Rayful Edmond died from a heart attack only a few months after he was released from prison on July 31, 2024. Federal officials apprehended the drug kingpin in 1989, at the age of 24, finding him guilty of running a massive illegal cocaine trade that contributed to the crack epidemic in the 1980s.
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According to multiple reports, Rayful worked with the Medellín Cartel and Trujillo-Blanco brothers, allegedly transporting over 1000 kilograms of cocaine each week with a narcotics network that reportedly produced $300 million every year.
For his crimes, Rayful was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, his continued collaboration with federal agents, providing key details into Washington's active drug trade led him to receive a decreased sentence, and eventually an early release.
The drug kingpin was transferred to community confinement in Tennessee, freeing him from federal prison after a court petition, detailing his involvement as a government informant, was accepted.
After being re-convicted for trafficking drugs while in prison, Rayful seemingly flipped and decided to work with the FBI for 20 years, reportedly resulting in the arrest of 100 individuals.
"We can confirm that Rayful Edmond was transferred (not released) on July 31, 2024, to community confinement overseen by the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Nashville Residential Reentry Management Office," Scott Taylor from the Federal Bureau of Prisons stated.
Popular rappers who name-dropped Rayful Edmond in their songs
Rayful Edmond's infamous legacy ties him to one of the "most chaotic times" witnessed in Washington D.C., during which the state was referred to as the "murder capital of the United States".
Rayful's contribution to the increased supply of illegal drugs resulted in a significant increase in violence witnessed in D.C., with federal agents connecting a minimum of 30 homicides to his drug empire.
The kingpin was labeled as one of the most "infamous personalities" of the 1980s, and his name was used across various forms of media and pop culture. Below is a list of popular rappers who name-dropped Rayful Edmond in their songs.
Jay-Z - Can I Live (1996)
As part of Jay-Z's debut studio album, Reasonable Doubt, the rapper included a record titled Can I Live which references "Rayful Edmond" in his first verse. Over a sampled production of Isaac Hayes' The Look of Love, credited to Irv Gotti, the Roc Nation CEO raps:
"The youth I used to be, soon to see a mill'in / No more Big Willie, my game has grown / Prefer you call me William / Illin' for revenues, Rayful Edmond-like / Channel 7 News, round seven jewels, head dead in the mic"
In Jay-Z's Decoded interview, the rapper noted an instance where he saw Edmond appear on Channel 7 News getting out of his helicopter while watching the broadcast. This moment seemingly inspired the bar where he named-drops the drug kingpin.
Rick Ross - Rich Porter (2013)
At the start of Rick Ross' featured verse on Meek Mill's Rich Porter record, included on the latter's 10th career mixtape Dreamchasers 3, the MMG CEO name-drops Rayful Edmond, rapping:
"Don't you see a n***a ballin' like I'm Rayful Edmond?? (No snitching) / My DC shooter Fat Trel hold up that Mac-Eleven (Dem B***hes) / Nail me to the cross I swear I'll never testify (Never) / Never will, that Maybach murder got em' petrified"
Ross seemingly uses Rayful as a reference when highlighting his connections in D.C., claiming to live a life similar to the infamous drug kingpin. The "No Snitching" ad-lib supposedly targets Edmond for becoming an FBI informant.
Westside Gunn - Brains Flew By (2017)
During Westside Gunn's verse on Brains Flew By, which is included on his collaborative album with Mil Beats, Riots on Fashion Avenue, the rapper name-drops Rayful Edmond with a bar that seemingly alludes to pushing bricks of cocaine.
"Ayo, the graceful / Gun in his mouth like it's tasteful / Bricks on bricks like Rayful / Half a man in the safe blue, last supper, neck all chalky next to Jesus," Westside Gunn raps on 'Brains Flew By'.
Boosie Badazz - Wrong Role Model (2017)
On his seventh solo studio album, BooPac, Boosie Badazz included a track titled Wrong Role Models, where he speaks on being inspired by the seemingly lavish lifestyle "drug dealers" lead.
On the record's bridge, Boosie name-drops multiple notorious individuals, including Rayful Edmond, as the people he considers "wrong role models," rapping:
"Role model / Larry Hoover sh*t / Role model / Rayful Edmond sh*t / Role model / Pablo sh*t / Rick Ross sh*t / But not tha rapper Rick (tha dope dealer)"
Wale - Chess (2014)
On Chess, a record included on his collaborative mixtape with A-Track titled Festivus, Washington native Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, popularly known as Wale, compares situations in his life to a game of chess.
In his first verse, Wale references Rayful Edmond and Ronald Reagan, when speaking on the struggles he's faced being African American, rapping:
"Welcome to the city, ain't no sympathy for rats / Where the whites move first and you go second, cause you're black / Was it Rayful, was it Reagan, did the 80's hold 'em back? / This is no connect four but blood spilling for connects"
Other rappers who've made references to Rayful Edmond in their songs include Enoch 7th Prophet, Conway The Machine, and Phil Adé.
