Los Angeles Rapper MoneySign Suede Dead At 22

Los Angeles rapper MoneySign Suede—né Jaime Brugada Valdez—was fatally stabbed on Tuesday night (April 25) in a shower at a California prison, his attorney, Nicholas Rosenberg confirmed. He was 22.

According to the Los Angeles Times, officials from the Monterey County coroner’s office and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed Valdez’s death at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, but they did not provide the cause of death.

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In a statement, CDCR officials stated the rapper was found unresponsive and pronounced dead around 10 p.m. after officers noticed he was not in his cell during a regular headcount. Officials said he was found “with injuries consistent with a homicide.” An investigation is currently underway.

Rosenberg added, “People are very shocked. He was a very popular guy, very mild-mannered. People loved him.”

Valdez caught a buzz just after turning 18 with his hit single, “Back To The Bag,” that was released while he was briefly incarcerated.

He told Passion of the Weiss in 2021, “That s**t hit a million views while I was locked up […] I didn’t really know how to feel because I was in jail. It’s hard to focus on that … and feel hopeful. You can’t really force yourself to be happy. I didn’t really feel it like that, you know?” Valdez signed to Atlantic Records that year.

In 2022, MoneySign Suede released two albums within six months: a self-titled LP and Parkside Baby.

The Hip-Hop artist was serving an almost three-year sentence after surrendering in December 2022 on charges of possession/owning firearm by felon or addict on his second strike and a concurrent 1.5 year sentence for possession/owning firearm with conviction of a violent felony.

Following reports of his death, Valdez’s family posted a statement via Instagram Stories. “We appreciate the condolences. Our family has not set up a GoFundMe. Don’t fall for any scams, thank you!”

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