Tallahassee rapper Ralan Styles killed in Columbus, Ohio, shooting, police say

Tallahassee rapper Ralan Styles was shot and killed Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio, according to the Columbus Division of Police.

Styles, whose real name was Michael Robinson, was 22.

Columbus police said officers were dispatched to the area on “an unknown type of complaint.” Officers “were then updated by dispatch about a rapid SOS in the area,” a news release says. (SOS is a distress signal that means someone needs immediate assistance.)

When they arrived at a home around 5 a.m., they were met by an individual who said a man was inside suffering from a gunshot wound.

A 24-year-old man named Mahamood Hassan was arrested and charged in the fatal shooting on a charge of first-degree murder, according to the release. The circumstances of the shooting were still unclear as of late Monday morning.

From lunch table to sound booth

Styles is best known for his viral hit “Baby Shark” and had over two million followers on social media.

“His passing is a significant loss not just for Tallahassee, but for the music industry as a whole,” according to a statement from Juming Delmas, his publicist. “Ralan was known for his deep connection with his community, empowering youth through his music, and inspiring those around him.”

Styles’ Apple Music page calls him a “confident, streetwise, Tallahassee, Florida peer of the more melancholic and insular Lil Goat.”

Styles “prolifically blends melodic trap and contemporary R&B. One of his earliest recordings, released in 2020, was a collaboration with Lil Goat on the mesmeric ‘Dancing with the Devil.’ … His debut album, 2021’s Radiance, was an expansive set that featured G-Real, Itstheangxl, and GHXSTBOYY. Two more albums were issued in 2022.”

The young rapper had an outpouring of social media posts following his death from many fans and loved ones honoring his memory.

“Michael Andre Robinson. My lovey my eternity my soulmate my everything,” Jillian Sperling, Styles’ girlfriend, wrote in an Instagram post. “I can’t believe you are really gone. I keep thinking I’m gonna wake up and you’ll be right there like you always are and I realized this wasn’t all just a horrible dream.”

According to one of Sperling’s post, Styles left behind a daughter he had with another woman.

Another rapper known as Lil Goat posted a collection of photos grieving the loss of his “lil brother.”

“We went from rapping at the lunch table together in middle school, to becoming superstars,” he wrote. “I love you bro, and as long as I’m alive you’ll never die.”

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Breaking & trending news reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.