Top Tens: Dead Rappers

Like all realms of music, rap has had its fair share of tragedy. The early deaths of many hip-hops extraordinary budding talents have left hip-hop fans wondering – where would the genre be today if the likes of 2pac or the Notorious B.I.G did not die? What would hip-hop sound like if super producers like J Dilla had a chance to help shape the sounds of contemporary hip hop acts?

Here are 10 rappers who left us far too soon.

King Von

Death: On November 6, 2020, King Von (26 Years old) was shot and killed during an altercation between rival rap groups at the Monaco Hookah Lounge in Atlanta. The murder has since been solved.

Pop Smoke

Death: Pop Smoke (20 years old) was shot in an apparent home invasion in the Hollywood Hills at around 4:30 AM  on February 19, 2020, when two men wearing hoodies and masks broke into the house, hitting the entertainer. The murder has since been solved.

XXXTENTACION

Death: During the afternoon of June 18, 2018, XXXTentacion (20 years old), was shot and killed in an apparent robbery just outside RIVA Motorsports, an upscale seller of motorcycles and watercraft in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He was shot multiple times in the neck and was in critical condition before being pronounced dead at exactly 5:30 p.m. The four assailants have since been caught. 

Mac Miller

Death: Mac Miller (26 years old) was found dead in his residence room in Los Angeles on September 7, 2018. Miller suffered an accidental overdose due to his drugs being laced with fentanyl.

Ol’ Dirty Bastard

Death: ODB collapsed at approximately 5:29 pm on November 13, 2004, at Wu-Tang’s recording studio. He was pronounced dead less than an hour later, only two days shy of his 36th birthday. He had a lethal mixture of cocaine and the prescription painkiller Tramadol in his system at the time of his death.

Eazy E

Death: In 1995, Eazy-E (31 years old) entered the hospital with what he believed to be bronchitis. He was diagnosed with AIDS, and almost immediately announced his illness to the public. He died soon after, on March 26, 1995.

Big L

Death: On February 15, 1999, Big L (24 years old) was shot seven times in the head and chest and killed on 139th Street, just blocks away from his Harlem home. The murder remains unsolved.

Nipsey Hussle

Death: Nipsey Hussle (33 years old) was shot and killed on March 31, 2019, 10 times in his store’s parking lot, Marathon Clothing, in South Los Angeles at about 3:19 p.m. The assailant Eric Holder has since been caught.

Biggie

Death: On March 9, 1997, Biggie (24 Years old) was shot and killed in Los Angeles, where he had been attending a party by VIBE Magazine near the Peterson Automotive Museum. The murder remains unsolved.

Tupac

Death: Tupac (25 years old) was shot in a drive-by on September 7, 1996, after the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon in Las Vegas. Shakur was hit several times (including once in the lung) while attempting to jump in the back seat. He died in the hospital on September 13, 1996. The murder remains unsolved.

For more light reading check out our other Top Ten lists.