Snoop Dogg calls for 'peace in hip-hop' amid string of rapper killings

Snoop Dogg called for "peace in hip-hop" after fellow Los Angeles rapper Drakeo the Ruler was fatally stabbed Saturday night and police were called to quell a backstage brawl at the "Once Upon a Time in L.A." festival.

Drakeo the Ruler, whose legal name is Darrell Caldwell, died at 28.

Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent were among the artists who were set to perform at the festival, which took place at Exposition Park near the Banc of California Stadium, before the show was called off.

In a message posted to his Instagram account Sunday, Snoop Dogg said he was "saddened" by the events and expressed his condolences to Drakeo's family and loved ones.

"I'm not with anything negative and as one of the many performers, I was there to spread positive vibes only to my city of LA," he wrote. "My prayers go out to anyone affected by tragedy. Please take care, love one another and stay safe ya'll. I'M PRAYING FOR PEACE IN HIP HOP."

The rapper's message came amid a string of killings of prominent rappers over the past few years.

Memphis rapper Young Dolph was shot and killed in his hometown on Nov. 17 while visiting Makeda's Homemade Butter Cookies, a bakery in South Memphis. He was 36.

And on Dec. 9, Compton rapper Slim 400 was fatally shot in California hours after the hip-hop artist, who had collaborated with Dolph, shared a tribute to the slain rapper on Instagram.

Slim 400, whose legal name is Vincent Cohran, was shot in Inglewood and died at the age of 33.

"Preservation of life is everything they do not value our lives anymore we are targeted," New York rapper Jim Jones wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday, reacting to the news of Drakeo's death.

"Feels like we lost a rapper every week this year. There was a time when we protected in (the) community," he added.

Several rappers, including some mainstream superstars, have been shot and killed each year since 2018.

Last year, rapper Mo3 was killed in Dallas on Nov. 11, only a few days after King Von, another rising star in the industry, was shot and killed in Atlanta.

Also in 2020, hip-hop star Pop Smoke was fatally shot in Hollywood Hills, California, on Feb. 19. The Brooklyn rapper was only 20 and was killed months before his debut album, "Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon," would be released. It was certified double platinum.

On March 31, 2019, Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle was killed at the age of 33 in a shooting at his Marathon Clothing store in Crenshaw. Snoop Dogg, who was friends with Hussle, shared a tearful tribute at the rapper's memorial.

And in 2018, rapper XXXTentacion was shot and killed on June 18 in Deerfield, Florida. The 20-year-old rapper's first studio album, "17," was certified double-platinum in 2017, and his fourth and final album, "Bad Vibes Forever," was posthumously released in 2019.

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.