Rap Icon Kidd Creole Faces Murder Charge for Killing Homeless Man
Rap pioneer Kidd Creole has been arrested for the murder of a homeless man in New York.
The famed emcee, whose real name is Nathaniel Glover, is best known for being a founding member of the influential rap group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. A police report obtained by Rolling Stone reveals that on Tuesday, Aug. 1 around midnight, officers responded to a 911 call about a violent incident somewhere between 3rd Avenue and East 44th Street.
"Upon arrival, police observed a 55-year-old male with multiple stab wounds to the torso," reads the report. "EMS also responded and transported the male to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased."
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Glover was identified through a surveillance video and he was arrested Wednesday, the day after the murder happened.
The New York Times noted that according to assistant district attorney Mark Dahl, the encounter started when Glover was on his way to work in Midtown. The victim, identified as John Jolly, reportedly told Glover "What's up?" as the rapper walked past him.
Dahl explained that Glover said he had taken Jolly's statement as an aggressive pass at him. He also claimed that the statement was delivered in a threatening way. Glover then took out a steak knife he concealed in his sleeve and stabbed Jolly two times.
Jolly was unconscious when police found him. They also noticed that he was bleeding, so they took him to a hospital where he later passed away.
On Thursday afternoon, Glover was arraigned in a criminal court in Manhattan on a murder charge. Judge Phyllis Chu decided to send him back to jail without bail following his first appearance for a second-degree murder charge.
One of the most well-known tracks from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five is the 1982 song, "The Message." The group, which was formed in the 1970s, broke records and was the first rap act to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
