The hip-hop community has experienced an immense amount of loss this year, and the past month has been especially tragic. Sadly, most of the people that passed away were victims of violence, including two artists from Toronto. There was also a fatal car accident and one instance where the cause of death hasn’t been revealed. The common thread between each case is they’re all young men who still had so much to offer the world.
Last week, Quality Control Music announced the death of Atlanta-based Rudolph Johnson aka Lil Marlo. Marlo was killed late July 11 in what police believe was a targeted shooting. He was found in his deceased inside in his vehicle on Interstate 285 in Atlanta. Marlo was only 30.
On the afternoon of Friday, July 10, Jordon Marcelle aka Gleesh (GME) was seriously injured in a shooting outside of the Scarborough Town Centre. After being transported to the hospital in serious condition, Gleesh passed away Sunday morning (July 12). He was 26.
Also, on July 10, Sidi Mohamed Sow aka KingMo was one of five people shot in Toronto behind a plaza near Jane Street and Woolner Avenue. He was taken to the hospital, where he died of his injuries the next day (July 11). KingMo was 21.
On July 6, budding Philly rapper Aamir Johnson Daye aka D4M Skiano (part of the popular duo $loan x Skiano) passed away after a wave of violence hit his hometown during Fourth of July weekend. Skiano was one of nine people killed over the weekend, including a six-year-old. 30 people in total were shot. Skiano was 18.
On June 29, Bay Area rapper Curtis Denton Jr. aka Young Kurt died after a rollover car crash off Byron Highway in eastern Contra Costa County. He was 27.
On June 29, Tempe, Arizona rap trio Injury Reserve announced on social media that group member Jordan Groggs aka Stepa J. Groggs had passed away. No cause of death has been revealed. Groggs was 32.
On June 25, St. Louis rapper Lawrence Franks Jr. aka Huey, best known for his 2006 single “Pop, Lock & Drop It,” was killed around 11 p.m. in his hometown of Kinloch, MO. A 21-year-old man was also wounded in the shooting. Huey was 32.
On June 21, officers found up-and-coming Sacramento rapper Christopher Treadwell aka Bris with multiple gunshot wounds. and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Bris was 24.
On June 20, Pensacola, Florida rapper Kuanterion Rivers aka Frozonee was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators believe a drive-by shooting that took place a couple of days earlier is related to the shooting. Frozonee was 18 and father to a three month old baby.
On June 20, in the NYC’s deadliest weekend of 2020, Brooklyn based rapper and graffiti giant Kenneth Singleton aka FOOT4MAYOR BME was shot and killed while washing his car in front of his home in East New York, Brooklyn. FOOT4MAYOR was 35.
On June 20, Seattle rapper Lorenzo Anderson aka Lil Mob was killed in an early morning shooting in the city’s highly publicized occupied protest zone CHOP (Capitol Hill Organized Protest). Lil Mob was 19.
On June 19, rapper Kentray Young aka Tray Savage, a popular artist on Chief Keef’s record label Glory Boyz Entertainment, was shot to death while driving in his neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. He was 26.
New mural goes up in Canarsie, Brooklyn to honour Pop Smoke
Pop Smoke Mural in Canarsie, Brooklyn
Arrests have already been made in some of the cases, but unfortunately the majority are still unsolved. However, it is still early. Just a few days ago, the LAPD announced the arrest of five people in connection to the murder of rap star Pop Smoke. Two men and two teens have since been charged in his death. Great news for his family, who recently saw Pop Smoke, born Bashar Barakah Jackson, vault from No. 73 to No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated July 18) to become the top musical act in the U.S. for the first time.
His debut full-length Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Pop Smoke is the sixth artist to lead the Artist 100 posthumously, dating to the chart’s July 2014 inception, following Juice WRLD in December 2019, XXXTentacion (June 2018), Tom Petty (October 2017), Prince (May 2016) and David Bowie (January 2016). Linkin Park also led in August 2017 after frontman Chester Bennington’s death.
