Kodak Black

Bill Kahan Kapri (born Dieuson Octave; June 11, 1997), known professionally as Kodak Black, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He gained initial recognition following the release of his 2014 songs "No Flockin" and "Skrt", both of which led him to sign a recording contract with Atlantic Records. The former received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA), while the latter received platinum certification; "No Flockin" marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 two years later as a sleeper hit.

His 2017 single, "Tunnel Vision" saw further commercial success, peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. It preceded the release of his debut studio album Painting Pictures (2017), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. His first commercial mixtape (and fifth overall), Project Baby 2, was released that same year and peaked at number two on the chart, also spawning the triple platinum-certified single "Roll in Peace" (featuring XXXTentacion). His second album, Dying to Live (2018), yielded his furthest commercial success and peaked atop the Billboard 200. It spawned the single "Zeze" (featuring Travis Scott and Offset), which peaked at two on the Billboard Hot 100, received sextuple platinum certification by the RIAA, and remains his highest-charting song.

Kodak Black's career has been marked by periods of mainstream success, as well as public controversies and legal issues. His legal troubles began in middle school and spiked crucially throughout the late 2010s. Black was accused of rape in 2016 and faced the charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in South Carolina. He was given a plea bargain in 2021 to the lesser offense of assault and battery and was sentenced to probation. In 2019, Black was arrested for making false statements to possess weapons and was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison; his sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump in 2021.

While incarcerated, he released his third album Bill Israel (2020), which was less commercially orientated. His 2021 single, "Super Gremlin", saw a commercial resurgence, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. It was included on fourth album, Back for Everything (2022). His fifth and sixth albums, Pistolz & Pearlz and When I Was Dead, were both released in 2023.

Kodak Black was born Dieuson Octave on June 11, 1997, in Pompano Beach, Florida, the son of Haitian immigrant Marcelene Octave. He later legally changed his name to Bill Kahan Kapri. Kodak Black was raised by his mother in Golden Acres, a public housing project in Pompano Beach.

Kodak Black started rapping in elementary school and began to go to a local trap house after school to record music. He spent his youth reading thesauruses and dictionaries to further his vocabulary. Kodak Black frequently participated in brawls and breaking and entering with his friends. He was expelled from school in the fifth grade for fighting and was arrested for auto theft while in middle school. About his upbringing, he said that he was given two options: "sell drugs with a gun on his hip or rap".

From the age of six, Kodak Black used the nickname "Black". He also used the nickname "Lil' Black". When he joined Instagram he chose the username "Kodak Black", "...'cause you know Kodak, that's pictures and all that." This later became his stage name when he started to rap and is the name favored by his fans.

In 2009, at age 12, Kodak Black joined a rap group called Brutal Youngnz, under the stage name J-Black. He then joined a local rap group called The Kolyons. In December 2013, Kodak Black released his first mixtape, Project Baby, followed in December 2014 with the mixtape Heart of the Projects, and in December 2015 with the mixtape Institution.