Did Yovngchimi pass away? Viral posts about prison riot surrounding Puerto Rican rapper debunked

Speculation around the death of Puerto Rican rapper Yovngchimi flooded social media on December 28, 2025. Viral reports on social media have been claiming that the 29-year-old music artist, who is currently in prison without bail in Puerto Rico after being arrested on charges of violations related to firearms and conspiracy to traffic weapons, died in a prison riot.

Yovngchimi did not pass away. Some reports on social media which claim that the rapper died, included the phrase ‘Día de los Santos Inocentes’ in their captions.

The ‘Día de los Santos Inocentes’ phrase indicates that the reports of Yovngchimi’s passing are a hoax and not real.

The ‘Día de los Santos Inocentes’ is a popular commemoration in Spain and Latin American cultures which is similar to the April Fool’s Day. Celebrated on December 28, on the ‘Día de los Santos Inocentes,’ people pull pranks and practical jokes on each other, according to Sur in English.

On the day, which can be translated to Holy Innocents' day in English, pranksters call out “Inocente, inocente!” when they divulge that they were playing a prank on someone.

Puerto Rico, from where Yovngchimi originates, also celebrates ‘Día de los Santos Inocentes’ with a lot of fervor. As per a blog post by Reliant, Puerto Rico holds a Hatillo Mask Festival to commemorate the day, as part of which people wear bright clothing and take part in parades.

Importantly, the day has religious origins, and was brought to the Americas from Europe by Spanish conquistadors.

Yovngchimi, meanwhile, has been making music from prison

Yovngchimi, who’s real name is Ángel Javier Avilés-Monzón, is known for the Latin urban genre of music. He released his first album in December 2023, which was titled, WLGS (Whole Lotta Gang Shit), according to Rocnation.

On the album, he collaborated with popular artists such as Ozuna, Tay Keith and French Montana, among others.

Back in December 2024, Yovngchimi was arrested by FBI at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, and then indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of firearms violations, as per a press release by U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Puerto Rico.

Rolling Stone noted that the rapper, who has been denied bail, has been continuing work on his next album from inside prison.

The rapper, who was also later accused of conspiracy related to trafficking of weapons, spoke to the publication about working on music while not being able to collaborate in person with his team, and said,

“I always trust my team, with my life. When it comes to music, my producers Hydro, Nyxto, Yecko, they all know my essence, my color, my flow. They can mix my songs without me being there, which has already happened before because sometimes you’d be away for other reasons.”

Yovngchimi also shared with Rolling Stone that he had recorded a majority of the tracks for the album, SVPERSTAR DEMON before being arrested.

While addressing the difficulties of working from inside prison, he added,

“I haven’t recorded anything from here inside because, to be honest, I don’t like how this phone records, how it sounds. The other day I tried. I recorded a song with Hydro just so he could listen and test what it sounds like with a beat, but nah, I don’t wanna do anything over the phone.”

The rapper also shared that he continues to also write from inside jail, and has also recorded a reference track, according to Rolling Stone.