Rapper Gillie da Kid’s son, YNG Cheese, killed in triple shooting in Philadelphia

The son of well-known Philadelphia hip-hop artist and entertainment mogul Gillie da Kid was shot and killed Thursday night in the Olney section of Philadelphia, according to police, leading to an outpouring of grief from many who knew him and his father, as well as outrage over the city’s ongoing gun violence crisis.

Devin Spady, also known as YNG Cheese, was shot in the back just before 8:30 p.m. when shots were fired on the 5800 block of North Mascher Street. Officers responding to the scene found the 25-year-old unresponsive and rushed him to Einstein Medical Center, where he died shortly after arrival.

Around the corner, police also found a 28-year-old man, shot twice in the leg, and drove him to Einstein. A third victim, a 31-year-old shot in the hip, arrived at the hospital in a private car, police said. Both are in stable condition.

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Video from the scene shows that a group of men were having a conversation on the corner of West Nedro Avenue and North Mascher Street when they heard gunshots and started running, said Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore. At least 10 shots were fired, he said.

Vanore said he wasn’t sure whether the shots were fired by someone in the group or from farther down the block.

The motive remains unclear, and no weapon has been recovered and no arrest has been made, Vanore said.

Spady was the father of a young son, according to his social media, and he was following in his own father’s footsteps, pursuing a career in music. Police said he was living in Wyncote, just over the city line in Montgomery County.

His father, born Nasir Fard, rose to fame in the late ‘90s as a founding member of the hip-hop group Major Figgas from the Erie Avenue section of North Philadelphia. He went by Gillie da Kid at the time, but now goes by Gillie da King.

Gillie hosts Million Dollaz Worth of Game, a weekly podcast with his cousin and social media influencer Wallo, a.k.a. Wallace Peeples, who was also a member of Major Figgas. The show is the top music podcast on Apple Podcasts, with each episode averaging one million views.

They’ve attracted massive followings for their discussions on relationships, music, comedy, and Black life and culture, and host stars like Shaquille O’Neal, Michael B. Jordan, LL Cool J, Alicia Keys, and Kevin Hart. They often use their platform to share candid advice to young Black men about building successful lives despite societal roadblocks, something they endured themselves growing up in North Philly.

“As much as Wallo and Gillie do for the community in Philadelphia, as much as they pour into these young brothers and try to stray them away from killing each other and gun violence, to have his son be a victim of gun violence is tragic and a reminder that life, indeed, is not fair,” said Lenard McKelvey, a.k.a. Charlamagne tha God, host of The Breakfast Club radio show.

The pair was supposed to guest host the popular New York show Friday morning with Charlamagne before tragedy struck, he said.

“Parents aren’t supposed to be burying their children,” Charlamagne said.

On social media Friday, media icons and the public alike began sharing tributes to Spady and his family.

Wallo, in a heartfelt Instagram post, wrote that “usually when I talk to you, I got a lot to tell you. Tonight the pain in my heart & tears spoke to you. I love you beyond life Cheese. I got your father, Rest Well!”

Spady’s killing was one of 236 homicides recorded in the city this year through Thursday, according to police statistics. That’s a 23% decrease compared to last year’s pace, but still a much higher pace than the years before 2020, when the gun violence crisis began to reach record levels.

Another 800 people have been shot but survived this year, police data show, a 22% drop compared to last year, but well above the pace typically recorded in years before 2020.

Staff writer Elizabeth Wellington contributed to this article.