Lil Woody reacts to his death hoax that went viral on TikTok by posting a dancing meme on Instagram Stories

YSL rapper Lil Woody has reacted to rumors of his death, which broke out due to an an alleged shooting in an apartment building in Peyton Place in Atlanta on Sunday, June 30, 2024.

Many were speculating whether the rapper passed away in the shooting, which led to the death of an alleged affiliate of Woody called Tay. However, multiple media outlets confirmed that YSL Woody was not dead while talking about the alleged shooting.

On July 3, Woody shared a meme on his Instagram story featuring an old video where he's dancing at a party. The caption indicated that the rapper was taking a funny dig at those who wanted him dead, when he was supposedly safe and partying.

Lil Woody's Instagram Story dated July 3 (Image via Instagram/@woodyvswoody)

The fake news of Woody's death went viral online after news outlet Rap House TV reported on the Atlanta shooting alongside a picture of the rapper. The caption too was a little misleading, which led people to wonder if YSL's Woody had been injured or killed in the shooting.

According to a screenshot Woody shared on his story, his Instagram account went viral after people falsely assumed he was dead. The screenshot shows that the number of non-followers who visited his account skyrocketed recently, surpassing his followers by a huge margin.

Lil Woody's Instagram Story about his account data from July 3 (Image via Instagram/@woodyvswoody)

After multiple outlets confirmed Lil Woody was not dead, but his alleged affiliate Tay had died in the shooting, the confusion was cleared. The speculations about Woody's death were further fuelled by the rapper's involvement as a witness in Young Thug's ongoing YSL RICO trial.

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Lil Woody was a witness in Young Thug's ongoing YSL RICO Trial

Lil Woody was an important witness in fellow rapper Young Thug's ongoing YSL Rico Trial. The trial was originally supposed to begin in December 2023 but was postponed to January 2024 and has been ongoing since then.

Young Thug, along with 27 others, was accused of allegedly going against the RICO (Georgia's Racketeer Influencer and Corrupt Organizations Act) in May 2022. Prosecutors have claimed that Thug and two others allegedly founded a criminal gang called Young Slime Life and promoted the same via his music.

Woody, real name Kenneth Copeland, has been involved as a witness due to his YSL affiliation. He was reportedly supposed to testify in court on June 7, 2024, but allegedly did not answer any questions and refused to testify.

Lil Woody also pleaded the Fifth Amendment to avoid testifying in court and prevent self-incrimination, as per the videos of the trial available online. When asked about his age, Woody said:

"I'm grown. I'm an adult."

Judge Ural Glanville, who was presiding over the trial, warned Woody that he had several remedies against him if he refused to testify, including arrest for contempt of court. He also explained that the district attorney's office had provided immunity to prosecution for Woody, which makes it mandatory for him to testify.

“If you don’t testify, then I as the judge in this case have several remedies. One of those is that I can hold you in contempt and jail you because the way that you get out of that contempt is to just testify." Glanville said.

After Lil Woody refused to testify even after repeated warnings, he was arrested for contempt of court. Following his arrest, Young Thug's lawyer, Brian Steel, called for a mistrial, per Rolling Stone. His appeal was denied by Judge Glanville.

Lil Woody was once again called to testify in court on June 11, but remained uncooperative with the jury. The rapper answered more questions with vague phrases, such as "I don't know" or "I don't remember" as per official videos of the trial.

The rapper also fired his attorney, Miss Bumpass, in the middle of the trial. His lawyer had reportedly told the judge that she no longer wanted to be involved in the case, per Hot New Hip Hop. Videos of the moment Lil Woody fired his attorney in court went viral online. Woody said:

"She fired. I don't want her."

Additionally, Judge Glanville had to remind Woody to stand up when the jury entered and left the court multiple times during his trials. He was also asked not to spin on his witness chair during the trial.

On June 17, Copeland testified once again but did not answer questions as desired and usually answered in syllables like a yes or a no. The YSL Trial has been ongoing for a few months now, with no solution or judgement yet.