This is a list of notable rappers and hip hop musicians murdered since 1987.
Two studies in the mid-2010s concluded that murder was the cause of half of hip hop musician deaths. The average age of death is between 25–30 years of age. Hip hop artists have a higher rate of homicide than artists of any other genre of music, ranging from five to 32 times higher. [1] [2]
Some reasons cited for the high homicide rate include poor background of many artists, criminal gang activity, drug use, and inadequate pastoral care among artists and record labels. [3] [4] [5] In 2020, XXL wrote that of 77 rapper deaths they examined, more than 40 remain unsolved, including the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, the 1997 murder of the Notorious B.I.G., and the 1999 murder of Big L. [6]
Name | Date of death | Age at death | Place of death | Cause of death | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scott La Rock | August 27, 1987 | 25 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Shooting | [7] |
Paul C | July 17, 1989 | 24 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Shooting | [8] |
Danny "D-Boy" Rodriguez | October 6, 1990 | 22 | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | Shooting | [9] [10] |
Charizma | December 16, 1993 | 20 | East Palo Alto, California, U.S. | Shooting | [11] [12] |
Stretch | November 30, 1995 | 27 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Shooting | [13] |
Seagram | July 31, 1996 | 26 | Oakland, California, U.S. | Shooting | [14] [15] |
Tupac Shakur | September 13, 1996 | 25 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Drive-by shooting | [16] [17] [18] |
G-Slimm | October 13, 1996 | 21 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Shooting | [19] |
The Notorious B.I.G. | March 9, 1997 | 24 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Drive-by shooting | [20] [21] [22] |
Fat Pat | February 3, 1998 | 27 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Shooting | [23] [24] |
Big L | February 15, 1999 | 24 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Shooting | [25] [26] [27] |
DJ Uncle Al | September 10, 2001 | 32 | Miami, Florida, U.S. | Shooting | [28] [29] |
Jam Master Jay | October 30, 2002 | 37 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Shooting | [30] |
Sabotage | January 24, 2003 | 29 | São Paulo, Brazil | Shooting | [31] [32] |
Camoflauge | May 19, 2003 | 21 | Savannah, Georgia, U.S. | Shooting | [33] |
Soulja Slim | November 26, 2003 | 26 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Shooting | [34] [35] |
K-rupt | November 29, 2003 | 22 | Great Rift Valley, Kenya | Shooting | [36] |
Mac Dre | November 1, 2004 | 34 | Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | Shooting | [37] |
Blade Icewood | April 19, 2005 | 28 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Shooting | [38] |
Papa Touwtjie | June 9, 2005 | 36 | Paramaribo, Suriname | Shooting | [39] |
Proof | April 11, 2006 | 32 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Shooting | [40] [41] |
Big Hawk | May 1, 2006 | 36 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Shooting | [42] |
VL Mike | April 20, 2008 | 32 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Shooting | [43] |
Dolla | May 18, 2009 | 21 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Shooting | [44] [45] |
Speedfreaks | March 26, 2010 | 37 | Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Shooting | [46] |
Lele | July 1, 2010 | 23 | Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico | Shooting | [47] |
Messy Mya | November 14, 2010 | 22 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Shooting | [48] |
Magnolia Shorty | December 20, 2010 | 28 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Shooting | [49] |
Bad News Brown | February 11, 2011 | 33 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Unspecified violence | [50] [51] |
Adán Zapata | June 1, 2012 | 21 | San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico | Shooting | [52] |
Lil Phat | June 7, 2012 | 19 | Sandy Springs, Georgia, U.S. | Shooting | [53] |
MC Daleste | July 7, 2013 | 20 | Paulínia, Brazil | Shooting | [54] |
Lil Snupe | June 20, 2013 | 18 | Winnfield, Louisiana, U.S. | Shooting | [55] |
Pavlos Fyssas | September 18, 2013 | 34 | Keratsini, Greece | Stabbing | [56] |
Depzman | September 21, 2013 | 18 | Birmingham, England | Stabbing | [57] |
Doe B | December 28, 2013 | 22 | Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. | Shooting | [58] |
The Jacka | February 2, 2015 | 37 | Oakland, California, U.S. | Shooting | [59] |
Flabba | March 9, 2015 | 37 | Alexandra, South Africa | Stabbing | [60] |
Chinx | May 17, 2015 | 31 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Shooting | [61] |
Bankroll Fresh | March 4, 2016 | 28 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Shooting | [62] |
Mr. 3-2 | November 10, 2016 | 44 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Shooting | [63] |
XXXTentacion | June 18, 2018 | 20 | Deerfield Beach, Florida, U.S. | Shooting | [64] |
Jimmy Wopo | June 18, 2018 | 21 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Shooting | [65] [66] |
Smoke Dawg | June 30, 2018 | 21 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Shooting | [67] |
Young Greatness | October 29, 2018 | 34 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Shooting | [68] |
Feis | January 1, 2019 | 32 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Shooting | [69] |
Kevin Fret | January 10, 2019 | 24 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Shooting | [70] |
Nipsey Hussle | March 31, 2019 | 33 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Shooting | [71] |
RS | September 3, 2019 | 18 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Stabbing | [72] |
Pop Smoke | February 19, 2020 | 20 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Shooting during home invasion | [73] |
Houdini | May 26, 2020 | 21 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Shooting | [74] |
Huey | June 25, 2020 | 31 | Kinloch, Missouri, U.S. | Shooting | [75] |
King Von | November 6, 2020 | 26 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Shooting | [76] |
MO3 | November 11, 2020 | 28 | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | Shooting | [77] [78] |
Einár | October 21, 2021 | 19 | Stockholm, Sweden | Shooting | [79] |
Young Dolph | November 17, 2021 | 36 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Shooting | [80] |
Drakeo the Ruler | December 19, 2021 | 28 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Stabbing | [81] |
Snootie Wild | February 27, 2022 | 36 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Shooting | [82] |
Goonew | March 18, 2022 | 24 | Prince George's County, Maryland, U.S. | Shooting | [83] |
Archie Eversole | April 5, 2022 | 37 | Decatur, Georgia, U.S. | Shooting | [84] |
Sidhu Moose Wala | May 29, 2022 | 28 | Mansa, Punjab, India | Shooting | [85] |
Trouble | June 5, 2022 | 34 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Shooting during home invasion | [86] |
Zayar Thaw | July 23, 2022 | 41 | Yangon, Myanmar | Executed by Myanmar military junta | [87] |
JayDaYoungan | July 27, 2022 | 24 | Bogalusa, Louisiana, U.S. | Shooting | [88] |
PnB Rock | September 12, 2022 | 30 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Shooting | [89] |
Takeoff | November 1, 2022 | 28 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Shooting | [90] |
AKA | February 10, 2023 | 35 | Durban, South Africa | Shooting | [91] |
Pacho El Antifeka | June 1, 2023 | 42 | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | Shooting | [92] |
Bigidagoe | February 25, 2024 | 26 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Shooting | [93] |
C.Gambino | June 4, 2024 | 26 | Gothenburg, Sweden | Shooting | [94] |
Julio Foolio | June 23, 2024 | 26 | Tampa, Florida, U.S. | Shooting | [95] |
Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta rap, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his distinctive laid-back lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content.
Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. is an American record executive and convicted felon who is the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight was a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in the 1990s. This feat is attributed to the record label's first two album releases: Dr. Dre's The Chronic in 1992 and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle in 1993. Knight is currently serving a 28-year sentence in prison for a fatal hit-and-run in 2015.
Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg (Doggystyle) and 2Pac during the 1990s. At its peak, Death Row was making over US $150 million a year.
Lamont Coleman, known professionally as Big L, was an American rapper. Emerging from Harlem in New York City in 1992, Big L became known among underground hip-hop fans for his freestyling ability. He was eventually signed to Columbia Records, where, in 1995, he released his debut album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous. On February 15, 1999, he was fatally shot nine times in a drive-by shooting in Harlem.
Horrorcore, also called horror hip hop, horror rap, death hip hop, death rap, or murder rap is a subgenre of hip hop music based on horror-themed and often darkly transgressive lyrical content and imagery. Its origins derived from certain hardcore hip hop and gangsta rap artists, such as the Geto Boys and Three 6 Mafia, which began to incorporate supernatural, occult, and psychological horror themes into their lyrics. Unlike most hardcore hip hop and gangsta rap artists, horrorcore artists often push the violent content and imagery in their lyrics beyond the realm of realistic urban violence, to the point where the violent lyrics become gruesome, ghoulish, unsettling, inspired by slasher films or splatter films. While exaggerated violence and the supernatural are common in horrorcore, the genre also frequently presents more realistic yet still disturbing portrayals of mental illness and drug abuse. Some horrorcore artists eschew supernatural themes or exaggerated violence in favor of more subtle and dark psychological horror imagery and lyrics.
The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry was a dispute between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States, especially from the mid-1990s. A focal point of the rivalry was the feud between East Coast–based rapper the Notorious B.I.G. signed by Puff Daddy and their New York City–based label, Bad Boy Records, and West Coast–based rapper Tupac Shakur signed by Suge Knight and their Los Angeles–based label, Death Row Records. Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. were murdered in drive-by shootings within six months of each other, after which the feud soon ended with a "peace" summit in 1997 at the behest of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
Ermias Joseph Asghedom, known professionally as Nipsey Hussle, was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid-2000s, Hussle independently released his debut mixtape, Slauson Boy Volume 1, to moderate local success, which led to him being signed to Cinematic Music Group and Epic Records.
Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., better known by his stage name Young Dolph, was an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He first garnered mainstream attention for his guest appearance on O.T. Genasis' 2015 single "Cut It", which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. The following year, he released his debut studio album King of Memphis (2016), which peaked at number 49 on the Billboard 200. His fifth album, Rich Slave (2020) peaked at number four on the chart. Young Dolph founded the independent label Paper Route Empire.
Drill is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in Chicago in the early 2010s. It is sonically similar to the trap music subgenre and lyrically similar to the gangsta rap subgenre. Early drill artists are noted for their explicit, confrontational style of lyricism and association with crime in Chicago, especially the Black Disciples and Gangster Disciples. The genre progressed into the American mainstream in 2012 following the success of pioneering rappers like Chief Keef, Lil Reese, Lil Durk, Fredo Santana, G Herbo, Lil Bibby and King Louie, who had many local fans and a significant internet presence alongside producer Young Chop. Other rappers, such as Edai, L'A Capone, RondoNumbaNine, SD, FBG Duck, Lil Jojo and producer Leek-E-Leek also contributed to the early drill scene. As the audience grew, media attention and the signing of drill musicians to major labels followed.
Kiernan Jarryd Forbes (28 January 1988 – 10 February 2023), known professionally as AKA, was a South African rapper, record producer, and businessman. Born in Cape Town and raised in Johannesburg, Forbes gained recognition after releasing his single "Victory Lap" from his debut studio album, Altar Ego (2011). He was one of the most popular South African musicians of his era and the best-selling South African hip hop artist of all-time, also regarded by many as one of the greatest South African rappers of all time.
1017 Global Music, LLC, also known as The New 1017 Records, is an American record label founded by Gucci Mane in 2007. Its formation followed his departure from Mizay Entertainment and the dissolution of So Icey. The label's most notable artists include Gucci Mane, Young Thug, Waka Flocka Flame, Pooh Shiesty and OJ da Juiceman.
Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He first garnered a regional following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), which led to his signing of a recording contract from Def Jam Recordings. The label released his debut studio album, Remember My Name (2015) and its follow up, Lil Durk 2X (2016) to moderate commercial reception before parting ways with the artist in 2018.
Rakim Hasheem Allen, known professionally as PnB Rock, was an American rapper and singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He signed with Atlantic Records in 2015 and gained initial recognition for his 2016 single, "Selfish". Becoming his first Billboard Hot 100 entry, it received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and served as the lead single for his commercial mixtape GTTM: Goin Thru the Motions (2017), which entered the Billboard 200. His debut studio album, Catch These Vibes (2017) peaked at number 17 on the chart, while his second album, TrapStar Turnt PopStar (2019) peaked at number four.
Kirsnick Khari Ball, known professionally as Takeoff, was an American rapper. He was best known as the youngest member of the hip hop group Migos along with his uncle Quavo and close affiliate Offset. The group scored multiple top-10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 including "MotorSport", "Stir Fry", "Walk It Talk It", and "Bad and Boujee", the last of which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He also received two Grammy Award nominations. On November 1, 2022, Takeoff was fatally shot in Houston, Texas.
Jamell Maurice Demons, known professionally as YNW Melly, is an American rapper and singer. He rose to fame in 2018 following the release of his single "Murder on My Mind," a trap song that explores homicidal ideation. As his mainstream breakthrough, its release garnered him further attention after he was charged with the double-murder of two fellow rappers in the "YNW" collective the following year, resulting in an ongoing legal battle and incarceration. Prior, "Murder on My Mind" peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and led him to sign with 300 Entertainment to issue the song as a single for his debut commercial mixtape I Am You (2018), which was met with positive critical reception along with its follow-up, We All Shine (2019).
Dayvon Daquan Bennett, known professionally as King Von, was an American rapper and gangster from Chicago, Illinois, affiliated with the Black Disciples gang. He is widely considered one of the most preeminent figures of the drill genre.
Jahvante Jahqwane Sheldon Smart, known professionally as Smoke Dawg, was a Canadian rapper, singer and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. Smoke Dawg was a part of hip hop collective Halal Gang alongside Mustafa the Poet, Puffy L'z, Safe, and Mo-G who come together with the Prime Boys to make the supergroup Full Circle. His debut and only studio album Struggle Before Glory was released posthumously in 2018.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2021.
Dashawn Maurice Robertson, known professionally as Lil Loaded, was an American rapper from Dallas, Texas. He rose to fame in mid-2019 after his song "6locc 6a6y" went viral.
Addarren Ross, known professionally as Lil Snupe, was an American rapper from Jonesboro, Louisiana signed to Meek Mill's record label Dream Chasers Records. His death at a young age was honored by several hip hop musicians and made him the subject of numerous musical tributes and documentaries.