One of three rap stars arrested on gun and drug charges after an April 18 concert at Georgia Southern University remains in the Bulloch County Jail almost two weeks later, denied bond until a judge approves a hearing.
Kiari Kendrell Cephus, known by the stage name “Offset” in the rap group Migos, is in jail without bond due to his previous criminal history, said Bulloch County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jared Akins.
Cephus, who is from Lawrenceville, is charged with marijuana possession, possession of a schedule II controlled substance, carrying a weapon in a school safety zone (felony), possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Ogeechee Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Barclay Black denied Cephus’ request for bond due to information found when Black ran a Georgia Crime Information Center check and discovered Cephus has several felony arrests and other charges. Black did not list the charges, stating he is still researching whether the charges from more than one agency resulted in convictions.
“He has had several brushes with the law,” Black said, adding that the search showed “multiple prior felony arrests.”
Cephus was not found in a search of the Georgia Department of Corrections website, meaning he has not served time in a Georgia state prison.
Bulloch County Superior Court Judge John Robert Turner will schedule a bond hearing at some point in the future, Black said. On Monday, Bulloch County Clerk of Courts office records showed that there were no court dates set for any Migos members.
Two other Migos members, also from Lawrenceville — Kirshnick Khari Ball, known by the stage name “Takeoff,” and Quavious Keyatz Marshall, known by the stage name “Quavo” — were released April 20 on bonds of $10,000 each, Akins said. Like Cephus, they each face charges of marijuana possession, possession of a schedule II controlled substance, carrying a weapon in a school safety zone (felony) and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
Members of the Statesboro-Bulloch Crime Suppression Team arrested the group and several others after Migos left the stage 30 minutes into the concert at Hanner Fieldhouse. Officers, after smelling a strong odor of marijuana from the two vans in which the group arrived, questioned the drivers and found several guns, marijuana and schedule II drugs in the vans, Akins said.
Contract violations, policies under review
The Migos members, already an hour and a half late for the performance, left the stage on their own after performing for 30 minutes and were arrested, according to Jan Bond, GSU’s associate vice president of marketing and communications. She did not know if they intended to return for an encore performance.
Bond said the group was paid half of the $33,000 fee agreed to in the original contract. The contract called for 45 minutes, she said, and asked that the performance last 60 minutes. However, because Migos showed up at 10:30 p.m. instead of 9 p.m., as contracted, and because of the drugs and guns violations, they were only paid half the contracted amount, she said.
Prior to scheduling the concert, Georgia Southern officials were aware of the group’s reputation but “didn’t want to override the students” who wanted the rappers to perform at GSU, Bond said.
Students voted to bring Migos to the university, she said. More than 2,000 students cast votes, selecting Migos from a list of seven groups: Migos, Rich Homie Quan, We the Kings, August Alsina, Magic!, Karmin and Dom Kennedy. More than 40 percent of students who voted chose Migos, she said.
According to media reports, six people were stabbed and a woman was beaten and robbed during and after a Migos concert March 7 in Albany, New York; a brawl followed when someone snatched a gold chain from group member Marshall’s neck at a Nashville concert in September; and in March 2014, the band’s van was riddled with bullets in a drive-by shooting in Miami after someone pulled up and opened fire. Band members returned fire, reports stated.
The “Office of Student Activity’s staff and the associate vice president for student affairs and enrollment management coordinated the event with the University Programming Board, a student-led organization,” Bond said. “They advised and encouraged the programming board to consider the issues surrounding Migos.”
Bond said Wednesday that the university likely would review the Migos incident when soliciting performers for concerts at university functions and would advise students to consider past records and incidents of performers when the choice is left to them.
“We will work to educate students in responsibility when the time comes,” she said. “There is always the possibility we will make some changes (in policies). We will evaluate where this went and how things can improve.”
The Migos contracts with Babco Entertainment LLC and Big House Collective LLC state the concert would be 45 minutes in length. The contract required GSU to provide a meal for the band, as well as sound, staging and lights. It also called for 10 chilled bottles of water; bottles of pineapple, orange and cranberry juice; six cans of Red Bull energy drink; two large bottles of Ciroc Peach vodka; two large bottles of Patrón tequila; and two bottles of Moet-Rose champagne, as well as ice, napkins, cups and straws. The items containing alcohol were stricken from the contract because they were a violation of GSU policy.
Calls to representatives of Migos, Babco and Big House Collective seeking comment were not immediately returned.
Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.