A police source said Wednesday that an aspiring Bronx drill rapper who was shot dead last weekend after being drawn to the scene by a phone call was probably killed because of the name-dropping lyrics in his music.
Although it was unclear whether any of the five ski-masked individuals who came to kill the teenager this past Sunday night were referenced in his recordings, the source said detectives suspect Jordany Aracena, 17, was killed in revenge for the content of his songs. In relation to the murder, no one was detained.
The adolescent probably used the names of murdered gangbangers and drill rappers in his rhymes, unknowingly sparking the terrible events, according to city councilman Oswald Feliz, an older brother of the victim’s.
“He was very new to drill and said the wrong thing in a song,” said the Bronx elected official. “That may have made him a target. In my district, we’ve seen that pattern over and over.”
The drill rap scene has been blamed by the NYPD for inciting gang conflict earlier this year. Rappers frequently mock rivals in their lyrics and videos, which has deadly consequences. After the murders of two aspiring rappers in Brooklyn, Mayor Adams even urged that some social media platforms block drill performers’ videos.
Diana Ayala, a fellow councilwoman from the Bronx, reiterated the mayor’s criticisms about companies that permit violent content on their platforms.
“It’s not even just the drill music itself,” she said. “It’s the threats, the drugs. The stuff that young impressionable people are idolizing.”
But family members of the young murder victim told the Daily News they believe the killing was a robbery gone wrong despite suggestions the shocking slaying was tied to the “diss lyrics” in some of his songs.
“Yes, he was a rapper,” said the victim’s cousin Odales Lenus, 61, who helped raise the teen after the boy’s mother died four years ago. “But he was happy and had a lot of friends. … It wasn’t his music, it was a robbery.”
When the gunfire began on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. in Mott Haven, Jordany was reportedly on Beekman Ave. close to E. 141st St. Jordany was fatally shot in the chest and later declared dead at Lincoln Hospital, according to the authorities.
“He was never violent, except for his music,” said Eric Scott, 21, a boxing trainer, friend and neighbor. “He’d be lying [in his raps] about what he did and was going to do, like lots of dudes. It’s a shame.”
Four shot casings were found on the street by detectives who were on the scene after the deadly five, who were all dressed in black, fled.
While Scott portrayed Jordany as someone who was close to signing a record deal, a local who witnessed the shooting’s aftermath suggested that a gang-related dispute served as the motivation.
“He was on the rise,” said Scott. “He had A&R people interested in him … He was a really nice dude, always laughs and smiles.”
Motive aside, the slain teen’s ailing father was crushed by the violent death of his son, the youngest of his four kids.
“My wife died, and now our Jordany — he wasn’t the same after that,” said dad Jordan Aracena, 62, who landed on disability after a pair of massive coronaries. “He was a good son, I loved him with all my heart. Now that my son is dead, I can’t be happy any more.”
