MIAMI (AP) — Grammy-nominated rapper DaBaby has been released from jail on a misdemeanor battery charge while awaiting a court date, authorities said.
The musician, whose real name is Jonathan Kirk, left Miami-Dade jail on Saturday night, according to WSVN-TV and county records. He was arrested Thursday in Miami after arguing with a music promoter over payment for a performance, police said in an arrest warrant.
Kirk, who is best known for his single “Suge,” was in South Florida for a New Year’s Eve performance at a Miami Beach nightclub. The incident began Thursday at Novotel Miami Brickell, where Kirk was staying, the arrest report said.
Kirk, 28, approached the music promoter, who said he’d made an agreement with the rapper to perform at Cafe Iguana in nearby Pembroke Pines, the report said. The man told police he gave Kirk $30,000 but when the rapper counted it, he claimed it was $10,000 short. When Kirk demanded the money, an argument broke out and Kirk punched a man who was with the music promoter, according to authorities.
The promoter told police he fled to his hotel room out of fear for his safety. The man who was punched told investigators that one of the men with Kirk took his cellphone, a bank card and $80 in cash.
Later in the evening, Kirk returned to the hotel and the two victims identified him to police, who arrested him. The arrest report said Kirk denied involvement in the incident.
After his arrest, authorities discovered the Texas arrest warrant.
Kirk is expected in court again in Miami on this week.