In less than four years, Mikquale T. Cooper—who the world knew as BloodHound Q50—went from dropping home-recorded freestyles in Chicago to lighting up the Rolling Loud stage, releasing albums with Columbia Records, and carving out one of the most compelling voices in drill music. He didn’t get to see 23.
Real Name: Mikquale T. Cooper
Born: August 6, 2004 · Chicago, Illinois
Died: September 13, 2026 · Chicago, Illinois
Genres: Drill, Hip-Hop
Labels: Signal Records · Grade A Productions · Columbia Records
Years Active: 2023–2026
Early Life & Background
Mikquale Cooper was born on Chicago’s South Side, raised by his mother, Machetta Dudley. He split his time between the city and Northwest Indiana, growing up with drill music in the air—music that laid everything bare, sharp and unfiltered, with a beat that reflected street life as he really saw it.
He went to school in the Chicago area. He didn’t get into rapping for clout or with dreams of making it big. It just felt natural—his way to say what he needed to say, and a real part of himself.
The Meaning Behind “BloodHound Q50”
In a 2025 interview with VladTV, Cooper set the record straight about his name. “BloodHound” was just a rap alias, not some secret nod to a crew or gang. The “Q50” came from the Infiniti Q50—a car that actually meant something to him personally. He was clear: it was a brand, not a coded message.
Career Beginnings (2023)
Cooper started rapping in 2023 with zero expectations. He tossed out raw, bare-bones tracks like “Big 3” and “Coffin,” and people started to notice. What began as just venting turned into something real—a career with momentum. AllMusic praised his “offhanded malevolence,” a phrase that nailed how sharp and effortless his delivery was.
Breakthrough (2024)
2024 changed everything. In June, Cooper lost his friend and collaborator, Bloodhound Lil Jeff (Jefferey Lamar Harris Jr.), who was shot and killed. The drill scene felt it hard. One month later, Cooper channeled that pain into his first official single: “Splash Bros.” Suddenly, he wasn’t just rapping—he was making statements.
“Triple 3,” “Go,” and “BH4L” came next (with Lil Scoom89, Rell Vert, and a posthumous verse from Lil Jeff). Q50 worked Lil Jeff’s voice into his tracks whenever he could—a recurring show of loyalty. By the year’s end, he’d landed a deal with Signal Records, a Columbia imprint under Grade A Productions, and dropped “Long Live My Bruddas” and “Don’t Blink or Stare.”
Debut Album & Rising Profile (2025)
April 2025 saw his first album: Long Live My Brudda He Prolly Kilt Yo Brudda. The title didn’t pull any punches—grieving, honest, direct. Summer brought him to Milwaukee’s Summerfest, opening his fanbase way past Chicago.
August brought a flood of rumors online—claims he’d been shot and killed in St. Louis. He shot them down and later spun the experience into his lyrics. In the VladTV interview, he talked about actually being shot in the leg, wrong place, wrong time, but he insisted he was just mistaken for someone else.
Discography
Albums
Long Live My Brudda He Prolly Kilt Yo Brudda (Signal / Grade A / Columbia, April 2025)
Get Back or Die Trying (Signal / Grade A / Columbia, August 6, 2026)
Selected Singles
Big 3 · Coffin · Splash Bros · Triple 3 · Go · BH4L · Long Live My Bruddas · Don’t Blink or Stare · Hall of Fame · Bloody Storm · Lemon Lime ft. Lil Jeff · Head Taps
Notable Feature
Not a Chance in Hell — Mozzy & EST Gee (2026)
Final Year (2026)
By 2026, Q50 was everywhere. He hit the Rolling Loud stage in Orlando and landed a feature on Mozzy and EST Gee’s Not a Chance in Hell—just more proof that seasoned artists saw him as one of their own.
On his 22nd birthday—August 6, 2026—he dropped Get Back or Die Trying. Nine tracks, including “Hall of Fame,” “Bloody Storm,” and “Lemon Lime” (another nod to Lil Jeff, who appears posthumously). His last song, “Head Taps,” came out August 20.
Death — September 13, 2026
Not even a month later, a little before 4 a.m., Cooper was sitting in his white Tesla at a BP gas station on Chicago’s South Side, 4200 South Wentworth. Two cars pulled up. Six shooters opened fire—over fifty rounds. He was hit in the chest, neck, heart, and shoulder. It was over at the scene. The Cook County medical examiner confirmed his identity. AMF Music Group’s manager backed it up. Police didn’t make any arrests right away. The homicide detectives from Chicago PD’s Area One unit took over the case.
Legacy
After his death, Rolling Loud and DJ Vlad posted tributes. Meek Mill said footage of the shooting haunted him. His mother, Machetta Dudley, was vocal about people mocking her son online.
BloodHound Q50 didn’t waste time. He got signed to a major label within a year, dropped two albums, played top-tier festivals, and gained the respect of rappers who’d already made it—all before 23. The music stands as proof. His grief-filled tributes to Lil Jeff, his unblinking look at Chicago life—these tracks document both his world and his loss. Get Back or Die Trying, which came out on his last birthday, closes the chapter. Listening now, the title feels like an epitaph—a final message he didn’t know he was writing.
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