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Jacksonville rap star Ksoo’s father will testify against his son at trial

Ksoo’s dad is flipping on his son and will be a witness for the state in the first-degree murder case against the Jacksonville rapper.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — *The above video was originally published April 8, 2022

The father of a viral rap star known as “Ksoo” will testify on behalf of the state in the first-degree murder case against his son, court records show.

Abdul Robinson Sr., 51, has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in a high-profile murder case in which both of his sons are charged. Hakeem Robinson, 23, is charged with first degree murder. Abdul Robinson Jr., 27, is charged with second degree murder. Robinson Sr. is charged as accessory after the fact to first degree murder. Three others are also charged in the case.

Police and prosecutors allege Robinson Sr. is the leader of a violent drug gang known as ATK or Ace’s Top Killers. His son Hakeem, who performs under the name Ksoo, is believed to be a member. Ksoo has helped popularize the genre known as “murder rap” because of how it celebrates the violent deaths of alleged gang rivals.

Hakeem Robinson was indicted of first-degree murder in two cases in March. In both, the victim was a rival Jacksonville rapper: Charles McCormick (aka Lil Buck, killed in January 2020) and Adrian Gainer (aka Bibby, killed in February 2019). He has pleaded not guilty.

Court records show Robinson Sr. has agreed to testify as a witness for the state in the McCormick case. He has been moved out of the Duval County Jail for his safety.

According to police and prosecutors, McCormick, 23, was fatally shot in Dames Pointe Plaza on Merrill Road on Jan 15, 2020. An off-duty officer witnessed the shooting. According to a warrant, he saw a gunman stand over McCormick and shoot him with a rifle before fleeing in a Nissan Altima. The assailant was captured on surveillance video, and prosecutors say Hakeem Robinson is the man pictured, something his lawyers deny.

After the shooting, the officer chased the Nissan until it crashed and three people fled, according to the warrant. Prosecutors say Hakeem Robinson's fingerprint was found on a rifle in the car and his hair found on a T-shirt nearby.

After the incident, the warrant says, Hakeem Robinson posted mocking comments on his Instagram account, including a Lil Buck video captioned "Byeeee byeeee" with emojis of waving hands. Another pictured Hakeem Robinson getting a pedicure with the caption "Kill a n----- then go get my toes done."

It’s not clear from court records what testimony Robinson Sr. will provide in the case against his son. He also faces charges of accessory after the fact in the slaying of Damon Rothermel, 50, who was killed by a stray bullet while riding his bike near the intersection of Emerson Street and St. Augustine Road in January 2019. Police believe he was struck during a shootout between two vehicles, and that Robinson Sr. was in one of them.

Between the two cases, Robinson Sr. is facing three felony charges that could each carry sentences of 30 years in prison. His cooperation with prosecutors may reduce that.

Dominique Barner, one of the six defendants in McCormick’s murder, is also cooperating with investigators. He told investigators Hakeem Robinson’s beef with McCormick started after the latter “talked [disparagingly] about [rapper] Willie Addison,” according to the warrant. Addison (aka Boss Goon) was murdered Jan. 16, 2019, after a rap concert at Paradise Gentlemen’s Club on Baymeadows Road. He was Hakeem Robinson’s half-brother.

Before his arrest, Hakeem Robinson/Ksoo made videos with rapper Kenyata Bullard (aka Yungeen Ace, also affiliated with ATK) whose video “Who I Smoke” is an internet sensation. Sampling the 2002 pop song, "A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlson, the song lists the names of several Jacksonville murder victims, including “Bibby,” who’ve been “smoked.” (Bullard survived a quadruple shooting near St. Johns Town Center in June 2018 that killed his brother and two friends.)

“Who I Smoke” is just one way that ATK affiliates have mocked Bibby’s murder. Ksoo did so on Instagram in August 2020 when he posted pictures of a “jersey exchange” with former Jags running back Leonard Fournette. Fournette signed his #27 jersey “to my bro Ksoo” next to the letters “ATK.” In return, Ksoo gave Fournette a signed #10 Vancouver Grizzlies’ jersey emblazoned with the name “Bibby” (former NBA player Mike Bibby).

RELATED: Rival Jacksonville gangs locked in deadly battle glorified in new viral rap music videos

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