Amateur Rapper Bobby Crimo III Wrote 'I Know What I Have To Do'

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — The 21-year-old man who was arrested Monday in connection with the Highland Park parade shooting that killed seven people and wounded at least two dozen people has a history of posting disturbing images on social media, including some depicting gun violence.

But his relatives describe Robert "Bobby" Crimo III as a quiet kid who kept to himself and who was attempting to make a living as an online rapper.

Crimo was taken into custody Monday evening following a traffic stop after police had identified him and the Honda Fit they say the person of interest was driving. However, even before the long-time local resident was in custody, social media searches linked Crimo to accounts showing him as an amateur musician known as “Awake The Rapper.”

See Also: 7th Victim Dies, Vigil Set For Those Killed In Highland Park Parade Shooting

Crimo also previously attended nearby rallies in Highland Park and in other North Shore towns supporting former President Donald Trump in 2020.

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Patch obtained a photo on Monday that shows Crimo at a 2020 Trump rally dressed in a red and white striped shirt and hat, similar to the outfit worn by the character in the “Where’s Waldo” books.

Other images taken from pro-Trump rallies in Highland Park and Northbrook show Crimo in the outfit. While much of Crimo’s social media postings were taken down within hours of when he was named as the person of interest in Monday’s shooting, archived versions showed his artistic output contained imagery depicting gun violence suggestive of school shootings.

His IMDb bio describes Awake The Rapper as a “six-foot Hip Hop Phenom” who is the middle child of three and is of Italian descent. The bio said he began uploading his music to the internet at age 11 and said that Awake The Rapper is worth an estimated "100 thousand."

He released a song in 2021 entitled “Are You Awake” and the video includes a sketch of a person pointing a rifle at another person.

The video also includes a newspaper clipping about Lee Harvey Oswald, the man accused of assassinating former President John F. Kennedy. The video also portrays an image of a gunshot victim with blood spraying from his body.

Like a sleepwalker, I am unable to stop and think. My actions will be valiant and my thought is unnecessary. I know what I have to do, I know what's in it, not only for me but for everyone else. There is no past or future, just the now. It is more abstract than I can ever imagine. I can feel the atmosphere pushing me in. It's unstoppable, like a wave pulling me under, I can't breathe without it. I need to leave now, I need to just do it. It is my destiny, everything has led up to this. "Nothing can stop me, not even myself. Is there such thing as free will, or has this been planned out, like a cosmic recipe?

Another of his music videos, “Toy Soldier,” also included hand-drawn illustrations of a long gun-wielding figure, who is depicted shooting victims and, later, in a pool of blood — apparently after having been shot dead by law enforcement.

Crimo’s father — owner of a since-closed local deli and convenience store — unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Highland Park in 2019.

Media reports indicated that Crimo lived with his father and uncle in Highland Park. In an interview with Fox 32, Crimo’s uncle, Paul, said he is heartbroken and expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and injured in Monday’s mass shooting.

“I wanted to say I’m deeply, deeply sorry,” Crimo’s uncle said in the televised interview. “From the bottom of my heart, I’m heartbroken and my heart is just shattered. I can’t even believe it.”

Crimo’s uncle told Fox 32 there had been “no warning signs” of what was to have come on Monday. He described his nephew as a real quiet kid who was a YouTube rapper and an artist who keeps to himself.

“I saw nothing that would trigger him to do this," his uncle told Fox 32 on Monday night. "There was no concerns that I seen at all ….I saw no signs of trouble.”