A working relationship inside New Orleans’ music scene has turned into a serious criminal case after producer Mykel “MykelOnTheBeat” Cook was arrested over allegations that he knowingly exposed bounce artist Jayvonda Bazile to HIV.
According to NOLA.com, Cook, 33, was booked into the Orleans Justice Center on September 18 on one count of intentional exposure to the AIDS virus. Court records cited by the outlet show he was initially held without bond pending a Gwen’s Law hearing before Magistrate Commissioner Joyce Sallah, who later set bond at $250,000 and issued a domestic protective order for Bazile. Cook has since posted bond.
Louisiana’s Gwen’s Law allows courts to conduct special bail proceedings in certain cases involving alleged domestic violence and related offenses. During those hearings, judges can consider conditions of release or whether a defendant should remain jailed pending trial.
Bazile, 38, performs as BOG Vonnie and asked NOLA.com to identify her publicly. She told the outlet that she decided to speak because she wants people in the music community to take HIV testing seriously and believes others could potentially have been exposed.
According to the arrest affidavit, Cook allegedly met Bazile in 2018 and “agreed to assist her in pursuing a music career and later assumed the role of her music producer.”
Their professional relationship eventually became personal, Bazile said.
“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 told the outlet.
Cook has established credits beyond the local bounce scene. Music databases list Mykel Tharron Cook as a songwriter or producer on releases involving Fredo Bang and other Louisiana artists. Qobuz credits MykelOnTheBeat as a producer on Fredo Bang’s “When I Call” and lists Cook among the writers on BOG Vonnie’s appearance on Fredo Bang’s “My Body.” Music credits also list Cook as a writer on Boosie’s “You Don’t Know Me Like That.”
Bazile told the outlet that Cook had experienced health emergencies during the years they knew each other.
“Once specifically on my session, he caught a seizure and was foaming from the mouth,” Bazile said. “A mutual friend was like, ‘You better be using protection, because he’s got AIDS.’”
Bazile said she later developed fevers, night sweats and difficulty swallowing. After oral thrush led her to seek urgent medical care in March 2023, she said she tested positive for HIV.
New Orleans Police Department Detective Herman Franklin later obtained Cook’s medical records through a warrant. Investigators allege those records showed Cook had received an HIV diagnosis in 2019 and had undergone treatment through University Medical Center.
Those allegations have not been proven in court, and an HIV diagnosis by itself does not establish criminal liability or prove that one person transmitted the virus to another.
Louisiana law makes intentional exposure to the AIDS virus without a person’s knowing and lawful consent a felony. Under the statute, a conviction can carry up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
The case also lands in a city that continues to face a significant HIV burden. The New Orleans Health Department reported a rate of 33.2 HIV diagnoses per 100,000 residents and has encouraged residents to seek regular testing while expanding access to prevention and treatment resources.
At the same time, modern HIV treatment has dramatically changed both health outcomes and transmission risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who take antiretroviral medication and maintain an undetectable viral load do not transmit HIV to their sexual partners, a principle known as Undetectable Equals Untransmittable, or U equals U. The available reporting about Cook’s case does not establish what his viral load was during the period covered by the allegations.
Bazile said treatment has since reduced her viral load to an undetectable level. She told NOLA.com that some physical effects have improved, although she says she has continued experiencing breathing and vocal problems.
“I have problems with breathing,” Bazile said. “The voice I am carrying now is the voice we produce, but I feel a change in myself.”
Bazile has continued performing and recording. She entered the bounce scene after the 2010 killing of New Orleans rapper Magnolia Shorty, creating what she saw as a missing female voice in the genre.
“I missed hearing a girl rap,” Bazile said.
Bazile has now launched a GoFundMe seeking assistance with legal expenses, counseling and other costs connected to the case. On the fundraising page, she identifies herself as BOG Vonnie and says she is receiving HIV treatment.
“I came out because I wanted to break the chain, so nobody else will be affected like me,” Bazile said.
The criminal charge remains an allegation, and Cook is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless prosecutors prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
