Rapper Rodrick Moore is known by his fans as Roddy Ricch. The 23-year-old hip-hop artist rose to fame with his 2018 single “Die Young” and got even more famous with his hit song “The Box” from his debut album “Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial.”
On Saturday, the star was arrested on his way to a performance in New York. He was expected to perform sometime that evening but was stopped at the Governor’s Ball Music Festival security checkpoint. Shortly after, he was arrested with some others. Keep reading to find out why.
Why Roddy Ricch Was Arrested
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On June 11, Ricch was searched by the police on his way to the festival in a black Cadillac 2020 model. As reported by E!News, the NYC police department noted that they got a notice about firearms in his car and took action. The notice came from a security company that worked in the area.
During the search, about nine ammo rounds in a loaded firearm and a large capacity magazine were found underneath a passenger seat. The rapper was arrested alongside Carlos Collins, 57, and Michael Figueroa, 46, two other men found in the vehicle.
Following the arrest, Ricch was charged with several counts of unlawful possession of a weapon and an ammunition feeding device. While they were arrested together, the three men were charged separately.
Figueroa was specifically charged with five counts of unlawful and criminal possession of a large capacity ammunition device and unlawful possession of a weapon. The other, Collins, was charged with four counts of wrongful possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device and the criminal possession of a weapon.
He Missed His Performance
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Some moments after the arrest, the Governor’s Ball music festival reached out to fans through their Twitter account. They told fans that the rapper would no longer be performing that night. However, no explanation was given for why his performance was canceled. They wrote, “Unfortunately, Roddy Ricch is no longer performing today.”
Many fans took to the comments section of the tweet to express how disappointed they were. They also believed that Ricch canceled his performance on purpose. However, this was cleared up by other fans that got the news of the arrest.
Alongside Ricch, the lineup of performances scheduled for the three-day-long festival included several other famous artists like Tove Lo, Halsey, Joji, and Flume. While Ricch was in detention, fans still had the pleasure of watching other rappers like Skepta, Jack Harlow, and Kid Cudi perform.
‘I Need Everybody To Say F-ck NYPD’
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According to the New York Daily, the “High Fashion” rapper’s charges were dismissed within 24 hours of the arrest. This was confirmed when a clerk at the courthouse verified that both Ricch’s case and Collins’ were dismissed on Sunday. The charges were apparently never docketed, and the rapper was released from the custody of the police.
When asked by the press, no comments were given by the office of the Queens District Attorney on why the rapper’s charges were dropped. However, fans were excited about his release.
Later that night, the rapper made an appearance at the HOT97’s Summer Jam concert show. He also had some things to say about the NYPD. While on stage, he asked the crowd, “We in New Jersey, right?” Then he continued, “I need everybody to say F-ck NYPD!”
This whole incident was yet another difficult moment for Ricch and his fans in NYC, as he was forced to cancel another performance earlier in the year. This was after exposure to the coronavirus.
Roddy Ricch Missed Another Performance
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Several celebs have had to cancel shows because of COVID-19, and Ricch was one of them. In January, the star was not able to perform at the scheduled time on a Saturday Night Live episode.
This was after Variety reported that he canceled his upcoming appearance at the time due to exposure to the virus. Along with some members of his team, he feared that he could be at risk of having COVID-19. The show quickly replaced Ricch with the Bleachers, a band led by Jack Antonoff.
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