Kodak Black’s White House Visit: From Pardon to Political Ally with Trump
Bill Kahan Kapri, known as Kodak Black, showed up at a White House Black History Month reception this February. It was his first time back at the White House since getting a presidential pardon in 2021.
In his last hours as president, Trump cut off Black’s 46-month prison sentence for gun charges. The surprise pardon came down on January 20, 2021.
Fellow rappers Boosie Badazz and Rod Wave tagged along with Black at the White House event. His visit happened months after he backed the former president last October.
The rapper’s problems with the law kicked off in 2015, when he got picked up across Florida for alleged assault and theft. The following year brought gun charges and claims he attacked someone in South Carolina.
Black landed in jail at the Canadian border in March 2020. Finding weapons got him locked up until Trump stepped in to free him.
Through a 2021 deal with prosecutors, Black dodged jail time but took a 10-year suspended sentence for the assault case from five years earlier.
He ran into more problems when cops pulled him over in 2022. Police hit him with drug trafficking and possession charges. Trump-connected attorney Bradford Cohen jumped in to help.
Once out, he put the experience into his music. His song “Last Day In” talked about freedom and shouted out Trump for letting him go.
Jumping on social media in 2023, Black went all in supporting Trump, saying presidential term limits shouldn’t count.
Even with his ongoing court battles, Black kept giving back to his community. He pumped money into local schools and daycare centers.
