‘Lil Woody,’ YSL witness, quits rap and speaks out against gangs

ATLANTA - A local rapper recovering from a recent crash said he is through making rap music.

Rapper Kenneth Copeland – known professionally as Lil Woody – sat down with FOX 5 under the Peace Bell at Freedom Park and called for young Americans to put down their guns and leave gang life behind.

Lil Woody's rise from YSL trial spotlight

What we know:

Lil Woody gained national notoriety when he testified during the YSL RICO case brought against more than a dozen gang members. He was supposed to be the star witness against rapper Young Thug, but answered most questions with "I don't recall."

Now, Lil Woody is addressing the mixed response he received during the trial, his push to end violence, and a dirt-bike crash that left him severely injured. In fact, his cousin drove him to the interview following a doctor's appointment for injuries sustained during the crash on Sunday, Aug. 31. Lil Woody said he's been struggling since then.

Despite the struggles, Lil Woody presented a clear path forward, which, for now, doesn't include making music.

Dirt bike crash leaves rapper seriously hurt

What they're saying:

It's unclear what caused the crash. Some users on social media said Lil Woody lost control of his dirt bike before the crash, while others said he was hit by a car.

Lil Woody said he wasn't able to remember what all led up to the crash, but he faces charges connected to illegal street racing from June. He said he didn't know street racing was illegal until he was arrested.

The 34-year-old said he woke up in the hospital unsure about what happened, but family told him about the incident. 

Before the crash, he said he had been riding his dirt bike to gathering nearby, and it had been fun.

"If I never had the accident, the night would have been so perfect," Lil Woody said. "I don't even remember getting on the dirt bike, but when I, when I woke up in the hospital, I started feeling a lot of pain, and then that's when I realized I could have been dead."

Lil Woody had to get stitches above his right eye, as well as cuts all over his face. He also has road rash on his arm and a shoulder injury. He said the injuries are more than physical — they're also emotional.

Videos posted to social media show a crowd standing around him, all with their phones in hand, filming the aftermath. Finally, someone picked Lil Woody off the ground, put him in the back of their truck, and took him to the hospital.

"When I looked at it and seeing everybody with their phones out, I was like, wow. You feel... nobody called for help. I could be taking my last breath," he said. "I seen the look in the police eyes. They had more sympathy for me than whoever had their phones in their hand."

Lil Woody said he knew of the person who picked him off the ground and took him to the hospital, but they weren't close.

"I appreciate everybody who picked me up and put me in the car and drove me to the hospital. They didn't have to do that," he said. "He talked to me. He had, actually, he had an injury. He been injured on the bike before. He said he broke his jaw and all type of things."

Lil Woody is still recovering from the crash. He said he won't street race anymore, and he plans to use what happened to him for good. He said a company is donating helmets to him so he can autograph them and hand them out. He said he expects that to start in the next couple of weeks.

Testifying in the YSL case

The backstory:

Over the past year, Lil Woody has grown his social media presence. During the YSL RICO trial, he received positive notes for how he testified under pressure. Some on social media even said he was funny. Since then, his influencer status has grown.

He said, while he was happy that he was able to speak with his followers, the time of the trial was rough.

"Sadly, I had no control. I was just like, somebody was just pushing me in the back, and I was just going, I was afraid," he said about testifying. "I just knew that, you know, I'm gonna do whatever to protect myself. So going through that process, I didn't trust the state, I didn't trust the defense, I didn't trust... I didn't trust nobody."

He said he received lots of comments on how he testified at the trial, including some hate for "playing the victim."

"I truly was mistreated... But I ain't trying to play nobody else out to be the villain or bad person," Lil Woody said.

The backlash caused him to change how he acted, he said, and caused him to change his beliefs.

"That's why I take my life more serious now. And you know, I hold myself accountable, and I make the best decisions for me," Lil Woody said.

Lil Woody has disavowed gang activity now. He wrote a book called Books Up, Guns Down, he plans to make a documentary about his life, and he said he always talks about the wonders God worked in his life when he gets a chance.

"Once you start paying attention at life from a perspective where God working with you, then you'll start to understand your purpose in life on Earth," Lil Woody said. "So I understand my purpose."

Lil Woody walking away from rap

What they're saying:

Lil Woody also said he won't make any more rap music because the industry pushes rappers towards violence.

"Me personally, I don't want to put music out, because they don't change the hip-hop culture where they make you want to have to be a certain type of person to do music," he said. "So once they get the music scene back to where it needs to be... and let the kids know that you ain't got to be a violent person, to be a rapper, you know, drug dealer, to be a rapper, anything. You could be an educated graduate to be a rapper, you know, you can be whatever you want to be. You ain't got to uphold that image. So me, personally, I won't be doing music."

Lil Woody admitted he had a past involving violence and gangs, but that's something he said others should try to avoid. Now, he said he lets God lead him, and that involves pushing people to stay out of gangs. To help with that, he said people need to work on helping kids who are suffering — something he said he went through as well.

"We just got to start finding a way where we could get these kids to, you know, deal with their depression, because we all face it," he said. "Everybody dealing with some type of depression and don't know how to release it. I release mine by getting on the dirt bike or four-wheeler, or going to Sweetwater Creek, you know, just finding peace."

Lil Woody turning his back on gangs

What they're saying:

For anybody already in a gang, Lil Woody said it's time to get out.

"Walk away. You gotta tell yourself. 'Okay, today, I'm done.' That's what I did," Woody said. "Nah, man, they want us believe it's two ways out, dead or jail. No, it ain't. Just turn your back, just walk away. You feel what I'm saying, because if you don't do it now, later down the line might be too late."

He said the road to leaving might be tough for some, but it's worth it.

"It's not easy for some, because some done, you know, put themselves so far in it. But you know, when you believe and have faith in God, you ain't got to worry about it," he said. "I used to have so much doubt, because I see the violence, but now it's like, no weapon. When the police stop me, I be laughing, because I know I ain't committing no crime. They gotta let me go."

Lil Woody said the reason so many get involved with gangs is because they're searching for love, but gangs are not where to find it.

"Be your own man. Be your own woman. Don't allow yourself to be in a position where you thinking you loved when you're not," he said. "Then, once you realize that people don't care nothing about you, it's too late."

What's next for Lil Woody?

Dig deeper:

After the fame from the YSL trial, Lil Woody grew his Instagram and TikTok platforms. Between the two, he has over 1.2 million followers. A lot of the videos are him being goofy, but he does sneak some pearls of wisdom in every once in a while. He said he's recognized while out and about from social media, and he uses that to share his message.

"The kids see me, they ask me to pray for them. Man, be crazy. I'd be so shocked, but they would keep me on this, on this path. They keep me on this journey, because I know that I'm doing the right thing," Lil Woody said.