NC rap trio 83 Babies was once a rising group. Now 1 is dead and another in prison.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Court records link 83 Babies members to Braggtown Crips and related violence.
- Double shooting killed Young Boss Tevo; Davenport serves life for a separate murder.
- A local rapper urged community intervention to steer youth from gang life.
On Monday morning, Durham police released the names of the two men killed Friday night.
But across the Bull City and the larger rap community, word of the death of a local rapper spread within hours of the double killing.
Just before midnight Friday, police found Tevin Burney, 23, and Jarrett Godfrey, 26, shot in a car near North Roxboro Street.
A woman who was also shot suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said in a news release.
No other information, including about any possible motive or suspects, has been released about the case.
Burney became widely known as Young Boss Tevo, or YBT, as a member of the once-rising Durham rap group 83 Babies.
Durham rap group 83 Babies
83 Babies was named after the Eight Trey Gangster Crips, a violent street gang known to frequent the Braggtown area in northern Durham over the years, according to court documents in cases involving members of the rap group.
Their songs, videos and social-media posts promoted gang life, drug use and a cycle of retaliatory gun violence.
In 2019, the young men shared their rise to fame on social media, flashing jewel-encrusted watches to celebrate a record deal and playing to packed venues across the country.
But soon the trio unraveled, unable to escape the consequences of the gang lifestyle they were rapping about.
The rise of 83 Babies
83 Babies started out like many in the underground music scene, posting music and videos, said longtime Durham rapper Joe Murdock III, also known as Jozeemo. Eventually, established artists noticed, Murdock said.
The trio comprised Burney, Antonio “Lil Tony” Davenport Jr. and Tyrese “SetitOff83” Taylor.
Around 2018, 83 Babies released the song “No Cap,” turning the heads of multiple labels in a “tug-of-war” over signing the group, according to an article in Vibe, a music and entertainment publication founded by producer Quincy Jones.
In 2019, Georgia rapper Rich the Kid signed the trio to his label, a division of Atlantic Records, according to court records and testimony.
That same year, the rappers’ social-media timelines showed them performing at packed venues across the United States. Other photos showed them buying homes and posing next to expensive cars and scantily dressed women.
Killing shocks the community
But the 83 Babies’ rise to fame imploded soon after police charged Davenport with murdering 9-year-old Z’Yon Person in a drive-by shooting that horrified the Durham community.
In August 2019, Z’Yon piled into his aunt’s SUV with his sister and three cousins on their way to get Pelican’s SnoBalls on a warm August evening in Durham.
Davenport, driving a maroon Honda Accord, mistook those in the SUV for rival gang members who had jumped him days earlier at The Streets at Southpoint. Davenport and another member of the Crips opened fire on the SUV, striking Z’Yon in the forehead and his cousin in the arm.
Z’Yon fell unconscious in the back seat as his aunt drove him to Duke Regional Hospital. Doctors quickly realized the bullet would be fatal, but they kept the rising fourth-grader alive long enough for his family to say goodbye, according to court testimony.
In 2022, Davenport was sentenced to life in prison for various federal crimes linked to killing Z’Yon.
‘The Last Man Standing’
After Davenport’s conviction, Burney and Taylor continued to release music, but without landing any major record deals.
On Saturday, word spread quickly about Burney’s killing, with tributes and mentions by music bloggers and influencers.
Taylor also appeared to share a post. The post on SetItOff’s social media said people want to know how he feels.
“Well I’ll say this I never thght I’ll be the LAST MAN STANDING,” he wrote. “We were (on the way) TO GENERATIONAL WEALTH.”
They changed North Carolina, not just Durham, the post said, but it went downhill. He and Burney hadn’t been getting along lately, he said, but he still loved him, “even if it was from a distance.”
“So to ybt Get ya rest cuz 💯 farever 83babys,” he wrote.
Taylor and Burney were never linked to Z’Yon’s killing, but court documents said they were members of the Crips gang. In 2022, Taylor was convicted in Wake County of attempting to assault a law enforcement officer with a firearm and possessing a gun as a felon. He was released from prison in November 2023.
In March 2025, Durham police charged Burney with possession of a stolen firearm and misdemeanor drug possession. The charges were dismissed by a prosecutor in September who noted in court documents that there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute the gun charge.
‘We don’t have a village right now’
When asked about the fate of two of the three members of 83 Babies, Murdock, the longtime rapper, said those are common consequences for those who don’t leave the gangbanger life behind.
The answer to pulling kids away from that life, Murdock said, is a community in which neighbors and the larger community help keep them on the right path, not allowing them to do harm in no-snitch zones.
Murdock moved his family out of Durham about eight years ago after his children witnessed a murder while playing outside.
“It takes a village, and we don’t have a village right now,” he said.
Still, Murdock is pulling for Taylor and his music to survive.
“I’m following him. I’m rooting for him,” he said.