Kodak Black Says He’s Officially Independent 

BY Aron A.
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Name you know: Kodak Black. Birth name: Bill K. Kapri/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
It appears that Kodak Black is a free agent.

Kodak Black is a free agent. The rapper revealed during a livestream that he’s finally out of his deal and preparing to embark on a career as an independent artist. Yak explained that his project, Kodak The Blessing, marked his final album on Capitol.

Kodak The Blessing arrived on June 12th with a stacked tracklist. With 26 songs in total, it includes appearances from G Thugg, Shadea Chaa, 1900Rugrat, Albee Al, Friday, Reese Youngn, Lil Crix, and Rylo Rodriguez. 

It’s one of the first bits of good news to come from Kodak’s corner in recent times. But as an independent artist, it does make us wonder what comes next in his career. Obviously, he has built an incredibly dedicated fanbase who ride with him through thick and thin. And while he might not be topping the charts with each release, Kodak has consistently delivered music to his fans over the years. Surely, that won’t stop now that he’s independent. Frankly, he’ll probably be able to release even more music from the vault moving forward.  

Kodak Black Enters A New Era

Yak’s latest project comes after a consistent stream of projects he dropped over the past three years since fulfilling his contract with Atlantic Records. From projects like When I Was Dead to 2024’s Trill Bill and last year’s Just Getting Started, there was no shortage of music from his corner. 

Unfortunately, the news of his independent era comes after a string of legal troubles. The rapper was hit with drug trafficking charges in Florida in May related to a search of his vehicle in 2025. 

We’ll keep you posted on any further updates surrounding Kodak Black and this new era of his career. What’s your favorite track off of Kodak The Blessing? Let us know in the comments below. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.

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