MykelOnTheBeat: New Orleans Music Producer Arrested for Allegedly Infecting Bounce Artist With HIV

• Mykel 'MykelOnTheBeat' Cook, 33, was booked into the Orleans Justice Center on September 18 and later released on bond
• The alleged victim, bounce artist BOG Vonnie, chose to speak publicly to urge people in the music community to get tested for HIV
• Cook reportedly has prior domestic violence convictions from 2021 and 2023 in two separate parishes in Louisiana

A New Orleans music producer is facing serious criminal charges after a bounce artist he worked with accused him of knowingly exposing her to HIV.

Mykel Cook, known professionally as MykelOnTheBeat, was booked into the Orleans Justice Center on September 18, 2026, on a charge of intentional exposure to HIV.

According to Prime Timer reports, investigations carried out, including medical record checks, indicated that the music producer was diagnosed with HIV in 2019.

The 33-year-old was initially held without bond pending a Gwen's Law hearing, after which Magistrate Commissioner Joyce Sallah set bail at $250,000 and put a domestic protective order in place for the alleged victim.

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Cook has since posted a bond and has been released from police custody.

The music producer's record shows domestic violence convictions in St Charles Parish in 2021 and Jefferson Parish in 2023.

Alleged victim BOG Vonnie speaks out

The woman at the centre of the case is 38-year-old Jayvonda Bazile, who performs under the name BOG Vonnie.

She made the decision to go public, saying she wants to push people working in the music industry to prioritise HIV testing and that she suspects others may have been put at risk.

According to the arrest affidavit, Cook and Bazile first crossed paths in 2018 when he offered to help launch her music career.

What began as a professional arrangement eventually blurred into something more personal.

"We became friends, and we weren't in a relationship, but we were casually hooking up, or hanging out, doing music. Doing work to get us in a better spot in life," Bazile said.

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The criminal charge rests on allegations that Cook, whose credits include Boosie BadAzz, Chance the Rapper and NBA YoungBoy, deliberately exposed Bazile to HIV.

Those allegations remain subject to the legal process, and Cook has not been found guilty.

The Instagram post detailing the arrest of music producer MykelOnTheBeat is below:

Reactions to music producer MykelOnThe Beat's arrest

The story drew pointed responses online, with many commenters weighing in on both the legal and personal dimensions of the case.

YEN.com.gh has compiled some reactions from social media users below:

@WorldInMotionHQ wrote:

"The charge here is intentional exposure, which is a different thing entirely from not knowing your status. Ugly if it's proven."

@chloesprinkllz said:

"Protecting your health is a boundary, not a suggestion, and he crossed it in the worst way possible."

@auntymurda commented:

"This has been an ongoing situation for years. I remember when a popular bounce rapper found out, and she broke down on Instagram because he didn't tell her. She confronted him on IG live and everything. Sad to see he's still doing this, if that's the case."

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Musician Jonathan Meléndez, family found dead

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported about Mexican musician Jonathan Meléndez, his pregnant wife, their young daughter and the family nanny, who were found shot dead at a home near Mexico City.

Two suspects have been arrested, including an associate investigators say may have used a relationship of trust to gain access to the property. The killings have sparked widespread outrage as the family, bandmates and public await answers.

Source: YEN.com.gh