Hundreds of heartbroken fans gathered at Coan Park on Thursday night to bid farewell to a popular rapper whose life was cut short this week.
Fans, family and friends came out in full force to pay their final respects to Atlanta rap artist Trouble, four days after he was shot and killed at a Conyers apartment complex. They congregated near the Edgewood park’s pavilion and danced to many of his biggest songs.
Many showed up with red balloons that the crowd later released into the dusky Atlanta sky as Trouble’s 2015 hit “Ready” blared over loudspeakers in the park.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Attendees posted several videos from Thursday’s vigil along with mournful messages eulogizing the 34-year-old rapper, whose real name was Mariel Semonte Orr. In addition to his stage name, Orr was also widely known by his nickname Skoob.
“Give me chills,” one woman wrote on Facebook about the tribute. “We Love You #Skoobbbb.”
Trouble, who was signed to Def Jam Recordings and collaborated with such superstars as Drake, The Weeknd and Migos, was found early Sunday morning lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the chest at the Lake James Apartments. He was taken to a hospital, where he died, according to Rockdale County authorities.
Investigators arrested Jamichael Jones, a 33-year-old Atlanta man, and charged him with felony murder, home invasion and aggravated assault. He surrendered to Rockdale deputies at a Clayton County hospital Monday night.
A judge denied bond for Jones on Tuesday morning and he remains in custody at the Rockdale jail, online booking records show.
Authorities have said that Orr was visiting Jones’ ex-girlfriend at the apartment complex along St. James Drive but that the two men did not know each other. According to Jones’ arrest warrant, the woman told deputies she and Orr were asleep and she was awakened by her ex-lover attacking her. She said Jones and Orr began fighting and Jones pulled out a handgun, shot the rapper, then ran away, according to the warrant.
Trouble burst onto the hip-hop scene in 2011 when he released his debut mixtape “December 17th.” The project included one of his most notable songs, “Bussin,” which featured popular rappers Yo Gotti and Waka Flocka on the remix.
Atlanta hitmaker Mike Will Made It produced Orr’s first major studio album “Edgewood,” which was released in 2018. His most recent album, “Thug Luv,” was a follow-up to that project. It was released in 2020.
Among the large group Thursday night was Orr’s mother, who heard countless friends and fans recall what the rapper meant to the Edgewood neighborhood.
“He lived life to the fullest,” friend Ferrari Simmons told Channel 2 Action News. “He was a good person, good father, son, brother and a great artist as well.”
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