US rapper MoneySign Suede killed in prison, aged 22

MoneySign Suede — a rising rapper who released his debut album last year — has been killed in prison following an attack. He was aged 22.

The Mexican-American musician first gained notoriety in 2022, following the release of his self-titled EP and debut album, ‘Parkside Baby’. Officials with the Monterey County Coroner’s Office and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed his death yesterday (April 26).

According to a statement, the 22-year-old was found unresponsive after being attacked in the prison showers on Tuesday night (April 25). The injuries he suffered were described as being “consistent with a homicide”.

The rapper — whose real name is Jaime Brugada Valdez — had been serving a 32-month sentence in the California prison on gun charges. His lawyer, Nicholas Rosenberg, told the LA Times that “people are very shocked,” with the news of his passing. He also added that “he was a very popular guy, very mild-mannered. People loved him.”

He also confirmed to the publication that an investigation into the homicide was underway.
The Correctional Training Facility, where Valdez was serving his sentence, is described as the CDCR as housing more than 4,000 minimum and medium-security inmates.

As of yesterday, movement in the prison had been limited while officials carried out an investigation.

Valdez was born to Mexican immigrant parents and spent his childhood in the Huntington Park area of Los Angeles. He was signed to Atlantic Records while still in his teens and had been releasing music from the age of 16.

His breakthrough single, ‘Back To The Bag’ was released in 2020 and remains his most successful hit. Last year, he also released his self-titled EP and first full-length album, ‘Parkside Baby’.

Among those paying tribute to the late rapper was rap journalist Jeff Weiss — who described Valdez as “a young regional hero embodying the hopes & aspirations of the unsung and overlooked” (via The Guardian).

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