Fans are mourning the untimely death of established Bay Area recording artist Mike Darole on Monday (May 17th).
According to news from friends and family reports, the 29-year-old rapper was killed in Sunnyvale, California, on Saturday (May 15th) due to gun violence.
View this post on Instagram
A GoFundMe campaign for his children, created by Christina Loredo, revealed the fatal shooting occurred while the rapper, born Michael Darole, was walking his dog outside of his family home.
Darole’s shooting adds to a series of Hip-Hop-related deaths due to gun violence.
Sources say the unknown persons attempted to rob Darole, and a scuffle ensued. The gunman fired multiple rounds and hit Mike six times in various parts of his body. Darole was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.
As news spread of his death on social media, fans came in droves to pay their respects to the late-rapper under his last Instagram post, made last Wednesday (May 12th), which is a photo of him and his daughter with the caption: “My everyday inspiration.”
View this post on Instagram
The Bay Area rapper survived a near-fatal shooting in 2015 during a robbery attempt that saw Darole shot at point-blank range. The bullet landed next to his heart and required open-heart surgery. The incident led to a year of recovery with physical therapy.
Mike Darole was an established recording artist from San Jose, best known for his 2017 hit “Hello” featuring RJ and Compton AV. Mike Darole’s resume includes collaborations with West Coast stars John Hart, Rayven Justice King Lil G, DJ Mustard, and YG.
Before his solo career, Mike, formerly known as M.I.C., saw regional success as a member of several groups, like The League and N3w Era, during the mid-2000s West Coast Hip-Hop dance era.
However, his breakthrough came n in 2009 with the debut single “B.A.B.Y,” which accumulated over four million YouTube views.
“B.A.B.Y. was a slapper, rest peacefully,” commented Iris Alvarez, also known by the Instagram tag @iris_marie23, under journalist Bryson “Boom” Paul’s Instagram tribute to the slain rapper.
Sources say Mike Darole was negotiating a record deal and growing in popularity with his younger brother as the new duo, The Pisces Brothers. In April 2020, they released their latest single, “Chit Chat” featuring X2.
Additionally, accomplished recording artist Uncle Loops recently revealed he was recording with the duo on their forthcoming debut album.
Mike Darole is survived by his son, 9, daughter, 4, and longtime girlfriend. Services are being planned in the Bay Area. More information as it becomes available.
Click here to donate to Mike Darole’s GoFundMe campaign.
AllHipHop would like to send our prayers and condolences to Mike Darole’s family and friends.