Darryl Hommo Baum. There’s a name we haven’t heard since the early 2000s. Perhaps you remember him for being the face that brutally shot beloved African-American rapper 50 Cents.
The Candy Shop singer suffered from several gunshot wounds—9 to be exact and had to be hospitalized for over 15 days. Still, it took Curtis James Jackson (that’s 50 Cent’s actual name) 5 more months to fully recover.
After all, Darryl Baum managed to shoot the rapper’s hands, arms, hips, legs, chest, and cheek—and right in front of the home of Curtis’ grandmother nonetheless!
So, who is this Darryl Hommo Baum? How could a close friend of Mike Tyson commit such a heinous act? And who killed Baum later on? All this, and more, below.
Darryl Baum: Early Life & Rocky Beginnings
Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Darryl Baum was born on August 20, 1965. That makes him a fiery Leo, and sadly, that’s about all we know about his early life.
There’s little to no information about his family, upbringing, education, etc. Some sources mention that the Brooklyn native had dreams and aspirations of being a successful businessman, for instance. There’s nothing that proves he tried to pursue this path, though.
Either way, we know he didn’t make it as a businessman. Whether he gave up or simply circumstances didn’t allow for it, we know he got involved in the drug scene pretty early on.
Darryl Baum: Why Did He Shoot 50 Cents?
As with Darryl, riding with the wrong gang always gets you in trouble.
For starters, it’s safe to assume he was part of drug lord Kenneth McGriff’s crew since the latter was the one to order Darryl to assassinate Curtis Jackson (stage name: 50 Cents).
Why did a drug lord want the In Da Club rapper dead, you ask? Well, allegedly, 50 Cents was onto McGriff’s drug dealings in NYC. He even made a song about it! Listen to Ghetto Qu’ran here.
FBI investigations concluded that McGriff and the rap label Murder Inc. were trying to get rid of 50 Cents for airing out their dirty business (mainly laundering drug money).
Darryl Baum just happened to be the one they chose to do the job. As we know, 50 Cents is still alive and well today, while Baum died at the tender age of 34.
Darryl Baum: Who Killed 50 Cents’ Shooter?
Let’s cut to 3 weeks after 50 Cent’s shooting (watch him talk about it with Oprah here).
Darryl Baum was walking home, down a dark alleyway, when bam! a bullet rammed through his skull, instantly killing him. He had been living with Mike Tyson at the time. Better known as Iron Mike, the boxer had been supporting Baum for a while now—but more on that later.
At first, you’d think that 50 Cents ordered the hit somehow. However, Baum’s death 3 weeks after shooting him was merely a coincidence. Police determined that Baum was involved in a wicked rivalry with McGriff’s opposing gang, and that’s what killed him.
The leader of this gang is none other than Damion Hardy. You might know him for being rapper Lil’ Kim’s ex-fiancee. He was with two other gang members, Eric Moore and Zareh Sarkissan, that night, too.
Hardy is already serving his life sentence, not only for killing Baum but also for ordering six more hits. You’d be happy to know that he and his rival, McGriff, are serving time.
Darryl Baum: What’s His Relationship with Mike Tyson?
Baum’s criminal life landed him in prison at the same time as when Mike Tyson was serving a sentence for sexual assault back in 1992. Perhaps that was the only upside to Daum’s involvement with drugs.
They bonded rather quickly with each other, with Tyson promising to take care of Baum once he was done serving time. True to his word, Tyson kept Baum in his inner circle and later hired him as one of his bodyguards. Baum lived with Tyson from time to time as well.
The real question is: Did Baum’s shooting 50 Cents affect the rapper’s relationship with Iron Mike? We’re glad to report it didn’t! Curtis once bought one of Tyson’s previous homes, for instance.
Darryl Baum: Takeaway
Choose your friends wisely—that’s what we take away from Darryl Baum’s short life. Being part of drug rings and major rivalries wasn’t Baum’s calling. He wanted to be a businessman.
His choice to go down the wrong path led to his demise and his brother, Tyrone, who sought to avenge him later. Tyrone was killed by the same gang on a construction site. They attempted to murder Baum’s sister, Zakia, as well.
