The Hip-Hop Deathstyle
Previously titled "The Rapper Deathstyle"
Enlarged March 30, 2023 - first published Dec. 5, 2002
Enlarged March 30, 2023 - first published Dec. 5, 2002
David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061
866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
“bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee” (Psalm 55:23).
“The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened” (Proverbs 10:27).
“A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction” (Proverbs 13:2-3).
“The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it” (Proverbs 30:17).
“Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?” (Ecclesiastes 7:17).
“As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool” (Jeremiah 17:11).
“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:20).
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:16-17).
“The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened” (Proverbs 10:27).
“A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction” (Proverbs 13:2-3).
“The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it” (Proverbs 30:17).
“Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?” (Ecclesiastes 7:17).
“As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool” (Jeremiah 17:11).
“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:20).
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:16-17).
(* Attempts have been made to distinguish rap music from hip-hop music, and it has been said that rap is the music and hip-hop is the lifestyle, but the terms are commonly used as synonyms. The Grammys for the Hip-Hop category include Rap and R&B.)
VIOLENT, FILTHY MUSIC
Consider some of wicked lyrics by rappers who have won Grammys, the American music industry’s highest honor. Much of the violence is addressed to whites (crackers, devils, honkey), police, and women. For thirty years, this type of thing has filled young people’s minds with moral filth and encouraged them to act violently. Gangsta rap has doubtless been at the forefront of the explosion of rape and murder in black communities.
“From the gang called Niggaz With Attitudes; when I’m called off, I got a sawed off. Squeeze the trigger, and bodies are hauled off. You too, boy, if ya ***** with me. ... Here’s a murder rap to keep yo dancin with a crime record like Charles Manson, AK-47 is the tool” (“Straight Out of Compton,” N.W.A., lyrics by Ice Cube, 1988, this was a pioneer album in “hardcore, gansta rap”).
Ice Cube’s 1991 album Death Certificate was a revolutionary rage against the United States. The cover depicted the rapper standing over the corpse of America. The track “I Wanna Kill Sam” blames black troubles on America and foments the most vicious hatred against the nation. The lyrics are vile in the extreme. It could be the theme song for Black Lives Matter and Antifa.
“I got my black shirt on, I got my black gloves on, I got my ski mask on, This **** been too long, I got my twelve gauge sawed off, I got my headlights turned off I'm 'bout to bust some shots off, I’m 'bout to dust some cops off, Cop killer, better you than me; Cop killer, **** police brutality; Cop killer, I know your family's grievin’ ... Cop killer, but tonight we get even; I got my brain on hype; Tonight’ll be your night; I got this **** knife; And your neck looks just right; My adrenaline's pumpin’; I got my stereo bumpin’; I'm 'bout to kill me somethin’; A pig stopped me for nuthin” (“Cop Killer,” Ice-T, 1992). Most of the lyrics consist of vile, repetitive cursing of police.
“Kill the white people; we gonna make them hurt” (“Kill d’White People,” Apache, 1993).
“A fight, a fight, a [black] and a white, if the [black] don’t win then we all jump in … smoking all [of] America’s white boys” (“A Fight,” Apache, 1993).
“Now I’m black but black people trip [become upset] ‘cause white people like me; white people like me but don’t like them ... I don’t hate whites, I just gotta death wish for ****** that ain’t right” (“Race War,” Ice-T, 1993).
“Where you gonna go when the brothers wanna bust a shot ... where you gonna go when I wanna kill bloodclot ... bust a glock, bust a glock, devils get shot” (“Enemy,” Ice-T, 1993).
“What do blacks do; they just keep on blowing devils away ... evil ***** cracker ... I’m tightening up the laces to my steel-toed boots, so I can walk, stomp; we stomp this devil down in the park” (“Planet of da Apes,” Da Lench Mob, 1994).
“These devils make me sick; I love to fill them full of holes; kill them all in the daytime, broad ***** daylight; 12 o’clock, grab the Glock; why wait for night” (“Sweatin Bullets,” Brand Nubian, 1994).
“I kill a devil right now ... I say kill whitey all nightey long … I stabbed a ***** Jew with a steeple ... I would kill a cracker for nothing, ... Menace Clan kill a cracker; jack ‘em even quicker … catch that devil slipping; blow his ***** brains out” (“***** a Record Deal,” Menace Clan, Da Hood, 1995).
“Niggas in the church say: kill whitey all night long … the white man is the devil. ... I got the .380; the homies think I’m crazy because I shot a white baby; I said; I said; I said: kill whitey all night long ... nigga, I’m gonna blast ... I beat a white boy to the **** ground” (“Kill Whitey,” Menace Clan, Da Hood, 1995).
“Actual fact you need to be black ... everyday I fight a devil ... I grab a shovel to bury a devil ... grab my bazooka and nuke a devil ... with black, I build; for black, I kill” (“Fightin the Devil,” RBX, 1995).
“Get them devil-made guns and leave them demons bleeding; give them back whips, and just feed them bullets” (“Wicked Ways,” Sunz of Man, 1995).
“Waiting for the crackers; smuggle; his mug is in the gutters ... so we need your participation in the Caucasian assassination; time is wasting ... so who is in association with the *** retaliation; it needs your total cooperation ... a confrontation will be fought by the younger generation; because we got determination; all we need is organization” (“Purse Snatchers,” Onyx, 1995).
“... sticking guns in crackers’ mouths ... the cops can’t stop it ... coming to a corner near you, cracker; we’ve been through your area, mass hysteria” (“Mad Nigga,” Menace Clan, 1995).
“To all my Universal Soldier’s: stay at attention while I strategize an invasion; the mission be assassination, snipers hitting Caucasians with semi-automatic shots heard around the world; my plot is to control the globe and hold the world hostage ... see, I got a war plan more deadlier than Hitler ... lyrical specialist, underworld terrorist ... keep the unity thick like mud ... I pulling out gats [handguns], launching deadly attacks” (“Blood for Blood,” Killarmy, 1997).
“I love black women and I hate ***** crackers ... I destroyed a whole city like Sodom and Gomorrah or Babylon ... devils choke from the gunsmoke ... I’m swelling devils’ melons ... solo pro-morgue supplier” (“Graveyard Chamber,” Gravediggaz, 1997).
“Listen to this black visionary, bringing war like a revolutionary … go on a killing spree, putting devils out their misery; hearing screams, sounds of agony; my hostility takes over me” (“Under Siege,” Killarmy, 1997).
“I bleed them next time I see them ... I pray on these devils ... look what it has come to; who you gonna run to when we get to mobbing ... filling his body up with lead, yah; cracker in my way; slitting, slit his throat; watch his body shake; watch his body shake; that’s how we do it in the ***** [San Francisco] Bay …sitting on the dock of the dirty with my AK” (“Heat--featuring Jet and Spice 1,” Paris, Unleashed, 1998).
Since 1999, Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers) has been one of the biggest names in hip hop. He has sold more than 220 million records, and in 2015 Billboard magazine named him one of “the greatest rappers of all time.” Eminem’s 1999 album The Slim Shady LP, which launched him to rapper stardom, featured a “drug-dealing, bloodthirsty thug who spits furious rhymes about murder, rape, drugs and living by the law of the urban jungle.” Slim Shady is the rapper’s “alter ego.” He claims it’s all just entertainment, like a horror movie (“Robert Hilburn, “Has He No Shame?” Los Angeles Times, May 14, 2000). The vicious song “Just the Two of Us” (also called “97 Bonnie and Clyde”) is about a man who kills the mother of his child and has the following conversation with his daughter on the way to dispose of the body: “Where’s mama? She’s just taking a little nap in the trunk/ Oh, that smell? Dada must have runned over a skunk.” Mathers actually used his young daughter’s vocals in this vile song. He said later that he and his girlfriend, Kim, were not getting along at the time and that he actually wanted to murder her like that.
Eminem’s 2000 The Marshall Mathers album was described by a secular music reviewer as “an hour-plus of vile, hate-filled spew, dripping with references to rape, murder and violence toward women, gays and pretty much anyone Eminem doesn’t like. On the opening track, the rapper even threatens to rape and kill his estranged mother” (Dan Durchholz, “Eminem tops the charts,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 25, 2000). The song “Kim” is a vicious rant of anger and hatred toward the rapper’s wife, climaxing in her murder. He drives her to the woods, where she tries to run away but is caught, and he slits her throat while screaming, “Bleed ... Bleed!” The song ends with the sound of a body being dragged through the grass and thrown into the trunk of the car. (“97 Bonnie and Clyde” begins with this scene and describes the burial of the body.) Mathers admitted that he wrote the song about his own wife and that he was filled with hatred when he created the lyrics. He said he wanted “to scream” (Eminem, Angry Blond, 2000). When he played the song to his wife, he told her, “[I]t shows how much I care about you. To even think about you this much. To even put you on a song like this.” Murderous “love” is not love. The “love” of rock/hip hop is not love, it is lust. God’s Word defines real love. “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5).
Countless hip hop-loving men have murdered their wives and “baby mammas,” but of course this has nothing to do with the music and the culture it has created. It’s just entertainment. It’s just art. Wink, wink.
By 2017, neither hip hop in general nor the 45-year-old Mathers in particular had made moral progress, still spewing out filth and anger and rebellion and subversion and violence. Eminem appeared on the song “No Favors” in Big Sean’s album I Decided, calling President Trump vile names and rapping about brutally raping conservative commentator Ann Coulter. It’s just harmless art, of course. It doesn’t affect anyone.
BLACK VIOLENCE
“In New York from January to June 2008, 83 percent of all gun assailants were black, according to witnesses and victims, though blacks were only 24 percent of the population. Blacks and Hispanics together accounted for 98 percent of all gun assailants. Forty-nine of every 50 muggings and murders in the Big Apple were the work of black or Hispanic criminals. New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly confirms [these] facts. Blacks and Hispanics commit 96 percent of all crimes in the city, he says ... After researching the FBI numbers for Suicide of a Superpower, this writer concluded: ‘An analysis of single offender victimization figures from the FBI for 2007 finds blacks committed 433,934 crimes against whites, eight times the 55,685 whites committed against blacks. Interracial rape is almost exclusively black on white--with 14,000 assaults on white women by African Americans in 2007. Not one case of a white sexual assault on a black female was found in the FBI study.’ Though blacks are outnumbered 5-to-1 in the population by whites, they commit eight times as many crimes against whites as the reverse. By those 2007 numbers, a black male was 40 times as likely to assault a white person as the reverse. If interracial crime is the ugliest manifestation of racism, what does this tell us about where racism really resides — in America? ... Today, 73 percent of all black kids are born out of wedlock. Growing up, these kids drop out, use drugs, are unemployed, commit crimes and are incarcerated at many times the rate of Asians and whites — or Hispanics, who are taking the jobs that used to go to young black Americans. Are white vigilantes or white cops really Black America’s problem?” (Patrick Buchanan, “Black America’s Real Problem Isn’t White Racism,” Human Events, July 19, 2013).
RAPPER DEATHS
The following is only a sampling of the violence that has enveloped the rappers themselves (with a few drug overdoses thrown in for good measure).
This is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the deaths that have occurred in the hip hop culture created by the music.
Rapper Scot Sterling (aka Scot La Rock), whose debut album was titled “Criminal Minded,” was shot to death in August 1987 at age 25.
Rapper Michael Menson, of the group Double Trouble died in 1989 at age 29 when a gang soaked him in gasoline and set him afire. Double Trouble had a hit that same year titled “Street Tuff.”
MC Rock, rapper with The Almighty RSO, was stabbed to death in 1990 at roughly age 28.
Trouble T-Roy (Troy Dixon), rapper with Heavy D and the Boyz, fell off a balcony after a concert in 1990 at age 22.
Brandon Mitchell, rapper with Wreckx-N-Effect, was shot to death in 1990 at about age 20 during an argument over a woman.
Rapper Michael Robinson (a.k.a. The Mac) was shot dead in Vallejo, California, in about 1990 while sitting in his car with his pregnant girlfriend. He was about 20 years old.
Charizma, rapper with Peanut Butter Wolf, was shot to death in 1993 at age 20.
Deah Dame, rapper with Damian Dame, died in a car crash in 1994 at age 35.
Eazy-E (Eric Wright) of N.W.A., one of the founders of Gangsta rap, died of AIDS in 1995 at age 31. His lyrics focused on themes such as guns, drugs, anti-law enforcement, and deviant sex. He had seven children by six different women.
Rapper Hitman (Ricky Herd) was shot to death in 1995 at age 24.
Randy Walker (aka Stretch) of Live Squad died of unknown cause in 1995 at age 27.
Tupac Shakur (aka 2Pac, Makaveli), a gangsta rap superstar who founded the Outlawz Immortalz after he was released from prison in 1995, was shot to death a year later at age 25. Time Warner Music helped pay Shakur’s $1.4 million bail. Outlaw is an acronym for Operating Under Thug Laws as Warriors. The members of the group took the names of various tyrants, brutal dictators, and enemies of America such as Fidel Castro, Idi Amin, and Saddam Hussein.
Yafeu Fula (aka Yaki Kadafi, Young Hollywood), of the Outlawz Immortalz, was shot to death in 1996 two months after the group’s founder, Tupac Shakur, was shot to death. fula was 19. He was shot by a cousin of Napoleon, another member of Outlawz.
Mr. Cee, rapper with R.B.L. Posse (Ruthless By Law), was shot to death in 1996 at about age 30.
Rapper Seagram Miller was shot to death in Oakland, California, in August 1996 at age 26.
Rappin’ Ron of Oakland, California, who recorded with Cell Block Records, died of a car crash in January 1997.
Rapper Young Lay of Vallejo, California, barely survived a gunshot wound to the head in 1997, but his baby was kidnapped and his live-in girlfriend died in an arson house fire.
Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls) (real name Christopher Wallace), gangsta rapper, was shot to death in 1997 at age 24. This was only three years after the release of his successful album “Ready to Die.” This album was filled with cursing, violence, and immorality. One cut was titled “Suicidal Thoughts,” and Notorious B.I.G. sang, “When I die, -----, I wanna go to hell.”
San Francisco Rapper JoJo White of Bored Stiff was shot to death in 1997.
Rapper DJ Caravan of FunkSoulJaz died in 1997 of unknown cause.
Gangsta Rapper Dion Stewart (aka The True Lesson Giver) of the duo Black Dynasty was shot to death while trying to rob a convenience store in 1997 at about age 30.
Fat Pat (Patrick Hawkins), rapper who recorded immoral songs, was shot to death in 1998 at age 26.
Rapper DJ Crazy Rak died in 1998 in a hotel fire in San Francisco. He was about 32 years old.
Luis “Papo” Deschamps, rapper with Sandy y Papo, died in a car crash in 1999 at age 23.
Malcolm Howard, rapper with 4 Black Faces, was shot to death execution style in 1999 at roughly age 30.
MC Big L (Lamont Coleman), rapper with Diggin’ In the Crates Crew, was shot to death outside his home in Harlem in 1999 at age 24.
Rapper MC Ant was shot to death in 1999 at roughly age 35.
Karnail Pitts (aka Bugz) of D12 died after he was shot three times and run over with a car in an altercation in 1999. He was about 30 years old and was a friend of white rapper Eminem.
Freaky Tah (Raymond Rogers), member of Lost Boyz, was shot to death while leaving a nightclub in New York City at 4 a.m. on a Sunday morning in March 1999 at age 27.
Matthew Roberts of Blaggers I.T.A. died in February 2000 at age 36 of drug related causes.
Q-Don (Raeneal Quann), rapper, was shot to death outside a Philadelphia nightclub in April 2000 at roughly age 30.
Yusef Afloat Muhammad, rapper with The Nonce, was found dead alongside a Los Angeles freeway in May 2000 at roughly age 28.
Big Pun (aka Big Punisher) (born Christopher Rios) died in 2000 of a heart attack at age 28.
Johnny Burns (aka Mausburg) was robbed and shot to death in his hometown of Compton, California, in 2000 at age 21.
Bruce Mayfield (aka Chip Banks and Bankie), rapper with The American Cream Team, was shot to death over a money dispute in November 2000 at age 30.
DJ Screw (Robert Davis, Jr.), founder of the Screwed Up Click and inventor of a hypnotic, slowed-down, drug-influenced style of rap called screw music, died in November 2000 of a drug-induced heart attack at age 30. He had long abused codeine.
Erik Carson (aka Eclipse) was shot to death at 1:30 a.m. on November 14, 2000, in Oakland, California, at age 23.
Bruce Washington (aka Hussein Fatal), of the Outlawz, was imprisoned in 2000 for slashing a person’s face and stomach and another person’s arm and chest with a box cutter.
Lloyd “Mooseman” Roberts, rapper who worked with Iggy Pop, Ice-T, and Body Count, died in a drive-by shooting in February 2001 at roughly age 28.
Prince Ital Joe, reggae and rapper who worked with Tupac and Snoop Dogg, died in a car crash in May 2001 at age 37 or 38.
Tonnie Sheppard, rapper and cousin of rapper Haf-A-Mil, was stabbed to death in a recording studio during a fight with studio executives in May 2001 at age 38 or 39.
Coughnut, rapper with Ill Mannered Posse, died in a car crash in September 2001 at age 33. The California Highway Patrol report said that alcohol was probably a factor in the crash that killed two other people, including rapper D Mac.
Rapper Mastif (“How Bout Dat” and “Mild Mind”) died of possible heart disease in November 2001 at age 33.
Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, singer with rap group TLC, died in a car crash in April 2002 at age 30. A few days before her own death, Lisa had hit and killed a 10-year-old boy with her car in Honduras.
Jam Master Jay, rapper with the popular group Run-DMC, was shot to death outside his recording studio in Queens in October 2002 at age 37 by an unknown assailant. This is the latest in a long string of violence associated with rappers, who produce a style of music that is infamously violent in nature (though Jam Master Jay himself was more positive than most).
Sabotage (Mauro Mateus dos Santos) was shot to death in January 2003 at age 29 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It is believed he was killed by revenge from a drug dealer.
Jason Johnson (a.k.a. Camoflauge), Georgia-based rapper, was shot to death in May 2003 at age 21 in front of Pure Pain Records in Savannah. Following is a sample of his raps: “Gimme tha keys to tha car, I’m ready for war. When we ride on these niggas smoke that ass like a ’gar. Hit your block with a Glock, clear the set with a Tech ... You think I’m jokin, see if you laughing when tha pistol be smokin—Leave you head split wide open And you bones get broken. ... Somebody please call him a ambulance Get the boy some surgury as fast ya can Y'all niggas better come up with a master plan” (Camoflauge, “Let’s Ride”).
Rapper Speedy Loc died of an unreported medical condition on June 13, 2003. He was about 30 years old.
B Brazy of Damu Ridaz died in 2003 of unknown cause. He was about 25.
San Francisco rapper Double D (Darrel Anderson) was killed in August 2003. He was about 30.
Rapper Lil Bo of the Eastside Boyz was killed in 2003 at about age 25.
Soulja Slim was shot to death in 2003 in New Orleans at age 26. His “explicit content” rated album “Give It 2 ‘Em Raw” featured violent cover art. Police have said that a later murder was in retaliation for Slim’s death.
In November 2003, Anthony “Wolf” Jones, 38-year-old former bodyguard for “P. Diddy” Combs, was shot to death in a gunfight outside an Atlanta nightclub. $7,000 was found on Jones’ body. Jones and Combs had been acquitted of gun possession and bribery charges stemming from a 1999 shooting inside a New York nightclub.
In December 2003, federal prosecutor Jonathan Luna was gunned down during the trial of rapper Deon Lionnel Smith, who was accused of running a violent drug ring.
Rapper Freako of Ghetto Stars was shot to death in February 2004 at about age 25.
Rapper Juston Potts (aka Kanyva) murdered his promoter on June 7, 2004, because “she told him he didn’t have the talent to sell records” (“Aspiring rapper arrested in killing,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 8, 2004).
Rapper Holy Quran was shot and killed in 2004. He was about 25.
Russell Tyrone Jones (aka Ol’ Dirty Bastard) of Wu-Tang Clan died in November 2004 of a drug overdose at age 36.
Rapper Andre Hicks (aka Mac Dre or Dr. Dre) was shot to death in 2004 at age 34. A news report said, “His death was as violent as the lyrics to some of his most popular songs.” Police say that Hicks was part of a gang that robbed banks and pizza parlors, and in 1992 he was sentenced to 5 years in prison. His rapper nickname, Mac, describes a man that women would pay to have sex with. Police say that at least three people were killed in retaliatory shootings after Dre’s death.
Rapper Anthony Watkins (aka Fat Tone) of Kansas City was shot to death in 2005 at age 24. He was murdered by rapper Mac Minister because he was suspected to have murdered Andrew Hicks (Mac Dre) the previous year.
In April 2005 Wipeout, a Detroit rapper, was shot to death outside a nightclub.
Blade Icewood (Darnell Lindsay), Detroit rapper, was shot to death on April 1, 2005, at age 28. Seven months earlier he had been shot seven times with an AK-47 rifle and left paralyzed from the chest down and bound to a wheelchair. He was a member of the Lord’z underground rap group.
DeShaun Holton (aka Proof) of D12 was shot to death at a bar in Detroit in April 2006 at age 32. He was the best man at rapper Eminem’s wedding to his former wife Kim four months earlier. Proof first shot 35-year-old Keith Bender in the head and was then shot by an unknown third party. In 2004, Eminem’s music video “Like Toy Soldiers” featured his rapper friend Proof in the role of D12 rapper Bugz, who was murdered in 1999. In the 2004 video, it is Proof who is shot to death, an unwitting preview of his own murder two years later.
Rapper Big Hawk (John Edward Hawkins) of Houston, Texas, of DJ Screw’s Screwed Up Click, was shot to death in May 2006 at age 36. His brother, Patrick Hawkins (aka Fat Pat), was shot to death in 1998 when he was in his 20s.
Rapper Vital of the Da Bombsquad was murdered in October 2006 when he was 28. His body was found in a field.
In January 2007 rapper Busta Rhymes (Trevor Smith) was arrested and charged with punching and kicking a man. He was also charged with assault in August 2006. In February 2006 his bodyguard Israel Ramirez was shot to death.
Stack Bundles (Rayquon Elliot), “an up-and-coming New York rapper” affiliated with Byrd Gang Records, was shot to death in June 2007 at 5 a.m. in the morning outside his home after partying all night with friends. He was 24.
Rapper Skee 64 (Toby Rios) died in March 2007 at about age 28.
Rapper Woodie of San Francisco died in March 2007 of unknown cause at about age 35.
Many other California rappers are affiliated with infamous Bloods gangs. These include DJ Quik, Suge Knight, The Game, the rappers of the Boo-Yaa Tribe, Mack 10, B-Real, and DJ Zombie (http://www.ufaqs.com/wiki/en/bl/Bloods.htm).
Two members of the rap group Damu Ridaz, with ties to the Bloods, were shot and killed in 2007 while in their 20s. B-Brazy and G Spider were both shot and killed at different times by Mexican gangs. Lil Hawk of Damu Ridaz is in prison serving a life sentence.
Influential rapper Pimp C (Chad Butler) of the rap duo Underground Kingz (UGK) was found dead in a motel room in December 2007 at age 33 of an overdose of promethazine and codeine, which is called syrup (or “drank” or “lean” or “purp” or purple drank) by rappers. His songs dealt with “descriptions of sex and conspicuous consumption and triple-beam scales used to weigh drugs.” One of the rapper’s biggest hits was “Sippin’ on Some Syrup.” Underground Kingz is a very influential duo, having laid the groundwork for the explosion of hip hop in the South. Pimp C spent three years in jail for aggravated assault.
VL Mike (Michael Allen) was shot to death on April 20, 2008, in New Orleans at age 32. He rapped with Chopper City Boyz on the album We Got This.
Toro (Derek Johnson) was shot to death in Miami in October 2008 near a strip club. He was 23.
Shakir Stewart, head of hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, shot himself to death in Atlanta in 2008. He was 34.
Rapper Dolla (Roderick Anthony Burton) was shot to death in May 2009 outside a shopping mall. He was 21. His Myspace page said, “I’m not influenced by rappers I’m influenced by gangsters.”
New York City rapper G Baby Brown was shot to death on March 13, 2010, at age 22 by an unknown assailant as he was leaving a nightclub.
Magnolia Shorty was shot and killed on Dec. 10, 2010, at age 28.
Bad News Brown (Paul Frappier, aka BNB and Briz Brown) was shot to death in February 2011 in Montreal, Quebec.
Rapper M-Bone (real name Mante Ray Talbert) of Call Swag District was shot to death in May 2011 in a drive-by shooting while sitting in a car outside a liquor store. He was 22.
Chris Kelly of rapper group Kris Kross died of a possible drug overdose in September 2011 at age 34.
Heavy D, a popular rapper (real name Dwight Myers), died in November 2011 at age 44 of unknown cause.
Killa Keise was shot to death in November 2011. He recorded with the Thizz music label, which started as Romp Records founded by Mac Dre, who was killed in 2004.
Rapper Slim Dunkin (Mario Hamilton) was shot to death in December 2011 after an altercation outside a music studio where he was shooting a video. He was about 25.
Lil Phat (Melvin Vernell III) was shot to death in June 2012 at age 19. A year earlier one of his associates was arrested for second-degree murder after a shooting at one of his concerts.
Chris Lighty, rapper mogul who managed Sean Diddy Combs and Missy Elliott, shot himself to death in 2012 at age 44.
Lil JoJo was shot and killed on Sept. 4, 2012, at age 18.
Rapper Kenneth Cluth (Kenny Cherry Jr.) died in a shooting in Las Vegas in February 2013.
LA Capone (Leonard Anderson) was shot and killed in September 2013 at age 17 while leaving a recording studio. He was a member of the Black Disciples gang called 600 and was associated with the Lil Durk collective Only the Family.
Lil Snupe was shot to death in June 2013 in Louisiana at age 18. His music was published by Dream Chasers.
Pavlos Fyssas (aka Killah P) was murdered in Athens in September 2013 at age 34.
Depzman (Joshua Ribera) was stabbed to death in September 2013 at age 18 outside of a night club in Birmingham, England. That night he had attended a tribute to a friend who had been knifed to death.
L’A Capone was shot and killed on Sept. 26, 2013, at age 17.
Rapper Doe B (Glenn Thomas) was shot to death outside of a bar in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 29, 2013. He was 22.
Lil Marc was shot and killed on March 14, 2014, at age 20.
Rapper Kay Pee Lashore (Reno Glass) was shot to death in Chicago on April 15, 2014. He was 16.
On May 31, 2014, OTF NuNu was shot and killed at age 21.
Rapper Earl Hayes murdered his wife,VH-1 television star and dancer Stephanie Moseley, then committed suicide in December 2014. He was 34.
On January 18, 2015, A$AP Yams died of a drug overdose at age 26.
On February 2, 2015, The Jacka (Dominick Newton) was shot to death in Oakland, California, at age 37.
In March 2015, rap promoter James “Jimmy the Henchman” Rosemond was sentenced to life plus 20 years for a murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the death of Lowell Fletcher, an associate of the rap group G-Unit. Rosemond is the head of Czar Entertainment.
In April 2015, rapper Ronald “Ra Diggs” Herron was sentenced to 12 terms of life in prison plus 105 years for three murders and other violent crimes. Prosecutors used his own violent gangsta rap videos to help convict him.
In May 2015, Chinx Drugz (Lionel Pickens) was shot to death in New York City at age 31. He was a member of the Rockaway Riot Squad when fellow rapper Stack Bundles was killed.
On May 29, 2015, Young Pappy was shot and killed at age 20.
In July 2015, Chicago rapper Capo (Marvin Carr) was shot and killed. He was part of Chief Keff’s Glo Gang label.
On March 4, 2016, Bankroll Fresh was shot and killed at age 28.
In May 2016, one young man was killed and three wounded in a shooting at a rapper concert by T.I. (Clifford Harris Jr.) in New York City. Among the wounded was rapper Troy Ave (Roland Collins) who was opening for T.I.
On July 10, 2016, rapper Jermaine Scofield was shot to death in Baltimore, and at a candlelight vigil the next day, five people were shot and wounded by an unknown assailant.
On November 10, 2016, Christopher Barriere (aka 3-2) was shot to death in Houston at age 44.
On Nov. 15, 2017, Lil Peep died of a drug overdose at age 21.
In June 2018, XXXTentacion, a rapper whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, was shot to death at age 20. He was facing trial for a domestic violence charge against his pregnant girlfriend.
In June 2018, rapper Jimmy Wopo was shot and killed in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, at age 21.
On September 7, 2018, Mac Miller (Malcolm McCormick) died of an overdose of a counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl.
On Oct. 9, 2018, Dooski Tha Man was shot and killed at age 25.
In October 2018, rapper Theodore Jones III (Young Greatness) was shot to death at age 34.
On January 6, 2019, Veeno Gunna (Vincent Sanders) was shot and killed in St. Louis at age 35.
On January 10, 2019, Nina Ross Da Boss (Jimmiel Spillman-Ingam) was shot to death in Tampa, Florida at age 31.
On January 16, 2019, Boss Goon (Willie Addison) was shot to death in Jacksonville, Florida, at age 16.
On January 26, 2019, T. Kizer Tha Dummy (Terrance Kinard) was shot to death in El Paso at age 22.
On January 27, 2019, Jayo Sama was shot to death in West Palm Beach at age 22. Earlier that month he had released a video “You Sleep” dedicated to his friends who had died young.
On February 9, 2019, Willie Bo (Willie McCoy) was shot to death in Vallejo, California, at age 20.
On February 15, 2019, TaTachapo (Tauhid Collins) was shot to death in Philadelphia at age 17.
On March 25, 2019, Antwon Fields (aka Lil Mister and Lil Woppa) was shot to death in Chicago at age 24.
On March 31, 2019, Nipsey Hussle (Ermias Aghedom) was shot and killed in Los Angeles at age 33.
In December 2019, rapper Jarad Anthony Higgins (Juice WRLD) died at age 21 of cardiac arrest.
On Christmas Eve 2019, rapper Jahquar Stewart (Bvlly) was shot to death in Toronto at age 24.
On February 19, 2020 rapper Bashar Barakah Jackson, known as Pop Smoke, was shot to death in Los Angeles at age 20 by two robbers. They took his diamond-studded Rolex and other jewelry.
On May 10, 2020, Nick Blixxy (Nickalus Thompson), an up-and-coming rapper, was shot to death in New York City at age 21.
On June 19, 2020, Tray Savage was shot and killed at age 26.
On June 25, 2020, Huey (Lawrence Franks, Jr.) of St. Louis, Missouri, was shot and killed at age 31.
On August 4, 2020, FBG Duck was shot and killed at age 26.
On August 8, 2020, Dahir Abdirahman was shot and killed at age 20.
On November 6, 2020, Dayvon Bennett (aka King Von) was shot to death outside of a bar in Atlanta. He was 26.
On November 11, 2020, Dallas rapper MO3 (Melvin Noble) was shot and killed.
On January 20, 2021, Baby Ceo (Jonathan Brown) was shot and killed at age 20.
On January 23, 2021, 18veno was shot and killed at age 19.
On March 5, 2021, Houston rapper Chucky Trill (Corey Detiege) was shot to death near Atlanta at age 33. He was “known for his 2018 banger ‘Streets Don’t Love a Soul.’” He was the manager of Cash Committee Musik Group and the son of rapper D of Trinity Garden Cartel.
On April 9, 2021, DMX (Earl Simmons) died of drug overdose.
On April 22, 2021, Shock G (also known as Humpty Hump) died of a drug overdose at age 57.
On May 27, 2021, Brooklyn rapper Supa Gates (Aaron Williams) died of gunshot wounds sustained on April 11. He was 25.
On May 29, 2021, Detroit rapper VNZA was shot and killed.
On May 31, 2021, Dallas rapper Lil Loaded (Dashawn Robertson) died of a gunshot wound to the head, probably by suicide, at age 20. He was arraigned in March 2020 on suspicion of murdering his friend Khalil Walker. Lil Loaded’s rap “6l0cc 6a6y” had 25 million views on YouTube.
On July 8, 2021, Indian Red Boy (Zerail Rivera) was shot and killed at age 21 while creating an Instagram Live post.
On July 13, 2021, 31-year-old Chicago rapper KTS Dre (Londre Sylvester) was shot 64 times outside the Cook County Jail after being released on bail for a felony charge of illegal gun possession and resisting police. KTS stands for “Kill To Survive,” and the rapper had a target symbol tattooed on his neck.
On August 1, 2021, Chicago rapper Edai (Cordai Ealy) was shot and killed at age 32.
On August 10, 2021, Brooklyn Zu rappers 12 O’Clock (Odion Turner) and Murdock (David Turner) were shot and killed. They were 45 years old. Four others were wounded in the shooting. Brooklyn Zu is affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan.
On August 12, 2021, YNT Juan was shot and killed at age 17 by a rival gang member.
On October 31, 2021, Yung Kece (Marquis Hargrove) was shot to death at age 20.
On November 17, 2021, Young Dolph (Adolph Thorton, Jr.) was shot and killed at age 36.
On December 9, 2021, Slim 400 (Vincent Cohran) was shot and killed at age 33.
On December 18, 2021, Darrell Caldwell (aka Drakeo the Ruler) was stabbed to death at age 28 during a rap concert headlined by Snoop Dogg. Draeko’s most popular album was “Cold Devil.” He was incarcerated multiple times on a variety of charges and recorded a song in jail.
On Jan. 14, 2022, rapper Shandler Beaubien (aka Wavy Navy Pooh) of Miami was shot and killed in an ambush at age 28. He was best known for his song “M.I.A.M.I.” (Murder is a Major Issue). “Its video shows him waving a handgun, a staged murder scene and footage of police officers at actual shooting scenes.”
On July 22, 2022, rapper Rollie Bands was shot and killed outside his Tampa, Florida, apartment minutes after “taunting his critics on social media.” He said he was on his way home if they “want smoke.” He was in his 20s when he got himself smoked.
On Sept. 12, 2022, up and coming rapper PnB Rock (Rakin Hasheem Allen) was shot and killed during a robbery in Los Angeles. According to early reports, he was targeted for his “bling” or jewelry. He was 30 years old.
On Jan. 1, 2023, Gangsta Boo (Lola Chantrelle Mitchell), overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl. She was 43.
“List of Dead Rappers” on “Hip-Hop Database Wiki,” without dates or details of death, include the following: .38 (Southpark Coalition), A.C. Chill, Apache, Baatin (Slum Village), B-Brazy (Damu), Big D.S. (Onyx), Big Punisher, Bloody Mary (Bangin on Wax CD), Buff (Fat Boys), B-Grazy (Damu), CreepyFace (Kansas City Rapper), Chaos Kid (D12), Cowboy (Grandmaster Flash and Furious 5), Camu Tao, Capital Steez (Pro Era), Clip-D (ABN), Coughnut (IMP), CAS (Castro), DJ Train, Doe B (Hustle Gang), Eyedea, Flipside (O.F.T.B.), Fo’ Clips, Grym Reaper (Gravediggaz), G-Slimm, Guru (Gang Starr), Grace Bandza Samba, Half a Mill, Hittman (RBL Posse), Jimme Wallstreet, J Dilla (Jay Dee of Slum Village), Big BG, Jokez, Killa Sha, Kilo-G, KMG the Illustrator (Above the Law), Left Eye (TLC), Lil Jojo (BDK, FBG), Lil Laniak 2 (L.A. Denver Lane Bloods), Lil Jeff (BDK and FBG), Lil Bango (Luchi Ent), Lord Infamous, Mac-11 (Watts Franklin Square Crips), Real Nigga Shin (O Squad), Michael Price (Slowed Down Music), Marlon Brando (Sporty Thievz), Magic, MC Trouble, Mr Cee, MCA (Beastie Boys), Magnolia Shorty, M-1 (Raw Deal), Natina Reed (Blaque), No Game, Nut (Street Military), Nate Dogg, Professor X (X Clan), Pimp Daddy, Party Arty, Petey Parker (Prominent Sons), Rappin Ron (Bad N-fluenz), Rammellzee, Saxon Meyer, Sinnister, Stack Bundles (Riot Squad), Subroc, Tony Trapz (Toronto), Viro the Virus, Yella Boi, Wne, Woodie, X-1 (Onyx), Yaki Khadafi (Outlawz).
Screwed Up Click (also known as S.U.C., Soldiers United 4 Cash) is a rapper collective led by DJ Screw of Houston, Texas. Rappers associated with Screwed Up Click who have died young include Baytown, B.G. Gator (suicide), Big Hawk (H.A.W.K.), Big Mello (car crash in 2002), Big Rue, Big Steve, DJ Screw (drug overdose), Fat Pat, D-Pac, Fooly Wayne, Hard Jarv, Hard Ward, Jason, Lil Boo, Pat Lemmon, Tee Lee, and Trebl Treb.
Other rappers that died young of drugs or violence in the last 20 years include Karizma of San Jose, California, Plan B of Oakland, Black Cee of San Francisco, Black C, DJ Co V C of Funxsouljaz, 4-1-So-Sicc-Ass-Rell of Cold World Hustlers, Lil' Bo, Billboard of Black Wall Street, Nate Dogg (2011), Tim Dog (2011), Woodie (2007), Wake Flocka.
“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. ... My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood” (Proverbs 1:10, 15, 16).
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