Hit rapper Kodak Black ‘saddened’ by arrest

Kodak Black knew it was possible he could be jailed again as he was driven to court Tuesday morning. The night before, his attorneys had told him about a warrant out for his arrest.

“Saddened” was Black’s reaction, one of those attorneys, Allan Stephen Zamren, said Wednesday.

Black, who was out on bail in an unrelated criminal sexual conduct charge in South Carolina, was set to perform in New York on Wednesday and in the coming days in Philadelphia; Rochester, N.Y.; Wallingford, Conn. and Columbus, Ohio. Those tour dates are now postponed.

News was also emerging

when Black was arrested that his latest single, “Tunnel Vision,” released Feb. 17, had debuted in the 27th spot on the Billboard Top 40. The video, which takes on race relations in the Trump era, had over 27 million views as of Wednesday.

“He’s not just out there as an entertainer,” said Octave’s other attorney, Gary Kollin. Kollin said the video shows an “extreme social consciousness with regard to improving race relations.”

But once again, the music is on hold. Black, 19, whose given name is Dieuson Octave, was taken into custody in a Fort Lauderdale courtroom on Tuesday on allegations that he violated the conditions of his house arrest. According to an arrest warrant filed by a Florida Department of Corrections officer, Octave failed to complete a mandated anger management program and went on unauthorized trips to a Miami strip club on Feb. 1 and a boxing match in Ohio on Feb. 18.

The warrant alleges that videos showed Octave at the boxing match and the Miami strip club. It wasn’t clear where or how the videos had been seen, but Octave is a prolific poster of photos and videos to his social media accounts, and those include posts on Feb. 18 showing him at the boxing event.

Octave’s lawyers dispute the allegations. They say that he was allowed to be at the boxing match and that the strip club incident was a misunderstanding. They also say they’ll address the anger management allegations in court.

The lawyers said that because the allegations against Octave constitute “technical violations” instead of the commission of a new crime, they don’t expect that he will remain behind bars for much longer.

“We are vigorously defending this, and hopefully it’ll be resolved next week,” Zamren said during a telephone interview that included Kollin.

If Octave is found to have violated the rules of his house arrest, any discussion of sentencing would be addressed in court, they said.

Ron Ishoy, a spokesman for Broward County’s Office of the State Attorney, said prosecutors would not offer an opinion about sentencing while litigating a case.

The house arrest stems from the second chance given to Octave by a Broward judge in August 2016. Octave, who had been facing charges in two criminal cases that could have put him behind bars for over 50 years, instead agreed to a plea deal for one year of house arrest and five years of probation.

In accepting the deal, the judge cited Octave’s potential as an artist, telling him she wanted him to stay on the straight and narrow and focus on his music.

Jubilation among Octave’s supporters, including his mom, soon faded. As deputies were about to release Octave from the Broward Main Jail, they discovered two outstanding arrest warrants: one a misdemeanor marijuana-related case in Port St. Lucie and the other a charge of criminal sexual conduct in Florence, S.C., where Octave is accused of sexually assaulting a fan in a hotel room.

He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted in that case.

Octave was released from a South Carolina jail on $100,000 bond on Dec. 1. Until Tuesday, he had been serving his house arrest at his home in Pembroke Pines.

Under the terms of the house arrest, Octave was allowed to travel for work-related purposes, which allowed him to perform shows all over the U.S.

According to Zamren and Kollin, their client’s appearances at the boxing match in Cincinnati, where he accompanied boxer Adrien Broner into the ring, and at the Miami strip joint, Club Lexx, could be seen as work-related because of the promotional nature of the appearances. Zamren, who has also represented South Florida rapper Rick Ross, said it’s common for rappers to appear at clubs not necessarily to perform, but to do a socalled walk-through or meet-and-greet.

Octave’s label, Atlantic Records released a statement about the arrest.

“We are sorry to hear about the recent circumstances surrounding Kodak Black,” the statement said. “His lawyers are working diligently on this matter and are hopeful that this will be resolved by next week. The remainder of Kodak Black’s ‘Back and Better’ Tour has been postponed. Details on rescheduled tour dates [are] forthcoming.”

Octave, who was being held without bond, is set to return to court March 10.

Video shows an “extreme social consciousness with regard to improving race relations.” Gary Kollin, an attorney for rapper Kodak Black

Rapper Kodak Black