Skilla Baby, a Detroit-based rapper, once mentioned that his father’s name is Billy.
Former Oak Park High School basketball player and rapper, Skilla Baby, was reportedly ambushed while driving in a black SUV near 8 Mile and Beech Daly on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
Multiple sources said that the vehicle was shot numerous times before crashing into a building just off the roadway.
Authorities said Skilla Baby sustained a gunshot wound to that hand and was grazed twice, once in the head and once in the back.
Despite the incident, he remained alert when first responders arrived and was rushed to a local hospital for treatment. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Detroit police have not yet released the information on the suspect, but Redford Township officers confirmed they are leading the investigation.
Evidence markers dotted the crime scene Thursday night, marking where dozens of shell casings were recovered along 8 miles.
Redford police have not released surveillance footage or details on the suspect vehicle.
Investigators have requested that everyone who witnessed the shooting or who has relevant video contact the department directly.
Owner and CEO at Eminence Solutions, Portia Markita Waden, took to her Facebook handle and prayed for Skilla’s speedy recovery. She wrote,
God put that prayer on his heart to save his life!!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 Praying that Skilla Baby has a speedy recovery ❤️🩹 #skillababy #skillababyprayer
Portia Markita Waden
Skilla Baby’s Parents Separated, But He Chose To Live With His Father
Skilla Baby, aka Trevon Gardner, 26, was born on October 2, 1998, in Detroit, Michigan, and was raised by his African-American parents.
Although his parents kept their details private, some sources claimed that Skilla once revealed that his father’s name was Billy.
When Skilla was in fifth grade, he had to memorize the Langston Hughes poem “Mother to Son.” His mother helped him study and recite it.
At some point during Skilla’s childhood, his parents separated. His mother moved to Toledo, Ohio, but he chose to stay in Detroit with his father.
His father was 52 years old when Skilla was born. He has described his father as a disciplinarian.
Once, his father made him write a 31-page handwritten essay on Thurgood Marshall, not because of school but to teach him discipline.
Moreover, Skilla credits his father for expanding his musical taste. His father exposed him to the Motown era, including artists like Luther Vandross and Anita Baker.
His father often played the radio and watched music-related shows to influence Skilla in music from a young age.
However, his father tragically passed away when Skilla was 15 years old.
He moved back in with his mother but had a bad relationship with his mother’s new husband, who kicked Skilla out of his house at age 16.
Currently, Skilla has a good relationship with his mother, and in 2024, some media sources reported that Skilla gave $50k to her mother on her 50th birthday.
Skilla’s mother is currently worried as her son sustained a gunshot wound. She has requested everyone to pray for Skilla for his speedy recovery.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Sauce Gardner, an American professional cornerback for the New York Jets, said Skilla Baby used to be the quarterback when they played Little League together.
- In February 2024, Skilla partnered with City Council President May Sheffield and Judge Tenisha Yancey for a gun buyback event and expungement fair in Detroit. The event aimed to reduce gun violence and assist those with a criminal record in finding employment.
- He has been involved in resolving disputes within the Detroit rap community, notably helping to reconcile the differences between Tee Grizzley and Sada Baby.
- His music was inspired by the sounds of rappers like Meek Mill and Lil Wayne, vintage soul and R&B from his father’s collection, and even the poetry and literature of the Harlem Renaissance.
