Who is Isaiah Dukes aka Lil Zay Osama? Aspiring rapper arrested for leaving machine gun in Uber

On September 29, aspiring rapper Isaiah Dukes, also known as Lil Zay Osama, was arrested by New York City authorities after allegedly leaving a machine pistol in an Uber.

Fox News reported that the rapper, 25, was picked up by the Uber at his hotel. According to prosecutors' documents, the Uber driver noted that he was brandishing a weapon.

The prosecutor reported:

"Noticed that [Dukes] was holding a firearm [later revealed to be] a Glock 22.40 caliber pistol affixed with a switch device, rending the gun to be a machine gun."

The driver reported that after dropping Lil Zay Osama and another person, he noticed that the weapon had been left in the car. Subsequently, he reported the rapper to the police.

In the court papers, US attorney Rebecca Schuman condemned the rapper's actions.

She said:

“The crimes charged in this case are extremely serious and confirm that [Dukes] is a danger to the community."

She continued:

"For one, [Dukes] possessed a particularly deadly weapon that had been converted from a handgun capable of shooting just one bullet each time the trigger is squeezed to having the capability of firing until the trigger is lifted.”

Complex reported that Lil Zay Osama has been charged with felony possession of a firearm and possession of a machine gun.

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Lil Zay Osama got his name because of his gang-related activities

According to the Chicago Reader, Lil Zay Osama is a mainstay on the Chicago drill hip hop scene known for his reported involvement in gang-related activity.

In an interview with YouTuber and talk show host DJ Vlad, the rapper said that his distinct nickname came from his reputation among gang subcultures and the Drill Scene.

He said:

“I ain't name myself that. The street started calling me Osama.”

The September 29 incident is not the rapper's first brush with the law. In 2015, at the age of 18, he was shot in the chest. VladTV reported that while in the hospital, he was arrested for gun possession and served two years of a five-year sentence in a juvenile facility.

After being released in 2017, Lil Zay Osama began to garner attention in the rap industry for the songs he posted on Soundcloud. Billboard reported that in August 2019, he signed with Warner Brothers after the success of his music video Changed Up, which has over 20 million views on YouTube.

In court documents, prosecutors noted how the rapper's lyrics generally celebrate the criminal lifestyle.

The document highlighted the lyrics from a 2021 song, in which the rapper brags about carrying firearms:

“Every day a different Glock."

If convicted of the recent machine gun charges, the rapper could face up to 20 years in prison.