This list looks at the 20 most infamous unsolved murders of up and coming rap stars, all of whom penned lyrics glamorizing the thug lifestyle that may have lead to their demises. This list is by no means complete but it is just a small slice of the very talented people that we have lost to gun violence over the past thirty years or so.
Hip-Hop has seen its share of rapper deaths over the years, from Scott La Rock to Slim Dunkin.’ No matter how many times it happens, it always comes as a shock, even if the rapper or Hip-Hop personality is living that hella reckless Y.O.L.O. life. But it’s the senseless rap killings that go unsolved that seem to peek the most interest from the public.
The unsolved deaths of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. have hung over Hip-Hop like a dark cloud for over a decade and every shred of so-called evidence that comes forth still attracts the same interest as if it were the day the two rap icons lost their lives. Pac and Big may be the most famous Hip-Hop cold cases but there are dozens of deaths in Hip-Hop community that have gone unsolved, or whose explanations have caused the decease’s family to think something was fishy.
A few of Hip-Hop’s most famous rapper casualties have allegedly been handled in the streets ala Soulja Slim and Mac Dre. But here are 20 Hip-Hop deaths that went unsolved by authorities, raised suspicion and remain shrouded in mystery to this day…
(See also Top 10 Unsolved Murders)
(See also Top 20 Most Horrifying Hollywood Murders)
20. Camoflauge
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| ("Camoflauge" Jason Johnson) |
Real Name: Jason Johnson (aka Camoflauge)
By all intents and purposes, Johnson was on his way to rap stardom when he was cut down. Like most young rappers, Johnson sought to put his life experiences to music, and started his rap career by selling 20,000 copies of “Crime Pay$,” an album he released with the rap group Crime Affiliates. When “I Represent,” his solo album on the independent label Pure Pain, managed to sell well over 50,000 copies, Universal Music Group offered Johnson his dream deal. However, Johnson would be arrested for possession of crack cocaine and Universal would decide not to pick up the option on his contract. He opened for heavyweight rap acts such as 8 Ball, MJG, Scarface, Master P, Ice-T, Pastor Troy, Lil Boosie, Birdman, Trick Daddy, and Ludacris. Johnson was fatally gunned down while walking with his toddler son outside of Pure Rain Recording Studio in Savannah, GA. The man believed to have pulled the trigger is currently serving a prison sentence for an unrelated murder.
19. Seagram
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| (Seagram Miller) |
Died July 31, 1996 – (aged 26)
Seagram Miller was from East Oakland’s 69 Ville housing projects and became the first West Coast rapper to be signed to the Houston based label Rap-A-Lot Records. Details about the death of Miller are still sketchy but what is known is that he and another rapper, Gangsta P, was shot as they were exiting a van in an area in East Oakland, CA known for violence and drug trafficking, by an unknown assailant(s). Gangsta P’s injuries, while serious, were nonfatal. Miller suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the body and was taken to Highland Hospital, where he died about an hour after the 8:15 pm shooting. Miller released three albums during his short lifetime, the first one, entitled “The Dark Roads” released in 1992. The second, entitled “Reality Check,” released in 1994. His final album released in 1997, a year after his death, and was called “Souls On Ice.” The killing still remains unsolved.
18. Big Hawk
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| ("Big Hawk" John Edward Hawkins) |
Died May 1, 2006 - (aged 36)
Real Name: John Edward Hawkins (aka H.A.W.K. or Big Hawk)
The younger brother of slain Houston rapper Fat Pat, Big Hawk was killed in May 2006. The rapper was reportedly going to a house to meet a friend, and was gunned down while waiting. The circumstances of the murder are eerily similar to that of Fat Pat who was killed six years earlier. The only clues authorities had about the murder were reports of a white compact car with tinted windows in the area around the time of the shooting. The murder remains unsolved.
17. Fat Pat
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| ("Fat Pat" Patrick Lamark Hawkins) |
Died Feb 3, 1998 – (aged 27)
Real Name: Patrick Lamark Hawkins (aka Fat Pat)
Hawkins was an American rapper from Houston, TX who was a member of DEA (Dead End Alliance) with his brother John “Big Hawk” Hawkins, DJ Screw, and Kay-K. They were all original members of the group Screwed Up Click. Hawkins was believed to have been visiting the apartment of a promoter to collect an appearance fee. The promoter apparently was not at home at the time and Hawkins decided to come back later. As he was exiting the complex, he was fatally shot in the outside complex corridor. That same year, his song “Tops Drop” reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. His brother, rapper Big Hawk would also be gunned down eight years later. Wreckshop Records released Hawkin’s first two albums, “Ghetto Dreams” and “Throwed In Da Game” in 1998 after his death. Hawkins’ murder still remains unsolved.
16. Smiley Culture
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| ("Smiley Culture" David Victor Emmanuel) |
Died March 15, 2011 – (aged 48)
Real Name: David Victor Emmanuel (aka Smiley Culture)
South London–born Smiley Culture delivered music to the world that served to bridge the linguistic divide between British speech and Jamaican patois. His rhymes spoke of the social tension of the day and won him a record deal from the London label Fashion Records. Soon after, he released the hit he is best known for, "Police Officer," a song that tells the story of his arrest and release, allegedly because of his celebrity status. While his other attempts to craft hit songs never proved fruitful, his style went on to influence many others in British rap. In more recent years he was charged with drug conspiracy. When police went to his home with a search warrant, officials say he fatally stabbed himself in the heart at age 48. Despite a police report that found no evidence of misconduct, the public has been dubious about Smiley's untimely end and speculation remains over who really killed the onetime star.
15. Stack Bundles
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| ("Stack Bundles" Rayquan Elliott) |
Died June 11, 2007 - (aged 24)
Real Name: Rayquan Elliott (aka Stack Bundles)
In June of 2007, Stack Bundles was murdered while heading to his apartment building in Queens, New Yok. The rapper was shot in the head and neck. Lee Woods was arrested in connection with the murder but was never convicted. Another suspect, Charles White, was also named, but he was found murdered that same month.
14. Mac Dre
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| ("Mac Dre" Andre Louis Hicks) |
Died Nov. 1, 2004 – (aged 34)
Real Name: Andre Louis Hicks (aka Mac Dre)
Many people rap about crime and thuggery in the streets, but Andre "Mac Dre" Hicks is one of the few who actually lived it. Born in Oakland, Calif., Hicks dropped three albums in the late '80s with the raunchiness typical of West Coast rap. He continued his rise, despite a five-year prison sentence in 1992, recording two albums over the phone from jail and eventually started his own label, Thizz Entertainment. Under his label, he released four albums, bringing new recognition to Bay Area rap. That resurgence was short-lived, however, as Hicks was shot to death at age 34 while leaving a 2004 performance in Kansas City, Mo. Rumors fingered local rapper Anthony "Fat Tone" Watkins although no evidence has ever surfaced and authorities have never named a suspect. (Watkins was shot dead the following year.)
13. Soulja Slim
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| ("Soulja Slim" James Tapp Jr.) |
Died Nov. 26, 2003 – (aged 26)
Real Name: James Tapp Jr. (aka Soulja Slim)
After dropping out of high school, James Tapp Jr. — first known as Magnolia Slim for the housing projects he hailed from — found his way into the rap game, dropping his debut album Soulja fa Lyfe in 1994 and a follow-up album on Master P's label in 1998. After a prison stint beginning that same year, he sought to reinvent himself under the name Soulja Slim. He soon released Streets Made Me, two other albums on his own label, Cutt Throat Committy, and released a chart-topping hit with Juvenile called "Slow Motion." But just a few months after the release of his second album on his independent label, he was killed in front of his mother's home. Police arrested Garelle Smith, 22, in connection with the murder but released him within months. (Smith was found murdered in August 2011.)
12. Stretch
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| ("Stretch" Randy Walker) |
Died Nov. 30, 1995 – (aged 27)
Real Name: Randy Walker (aka Stretch)
On his way home on the night of Nov 30, 1995, Walker, after dropping his brother off at his home in Queens Village, is confronted by two men. It was reported that these two men pulled up alongside his green minivan in a black car at 112th Avenue and 209th Street in Queens Village just after 12:30 am and opened fire on him. Stretch, in an attempt to flee from the gunmen, was engaged in a car chase that ended with him hitting a tree and flipping over after having been shot four times in the back. His murder came exactly a year, almost to the hour, after he escaped injury the night his friend Tupac Shakur was shot and wounded at a Times Square recording studio on Nov. 30, 1994. His unsolved murder is believed to be connected to that Quad Studio shooting of Tupac with no one ever being convicted for his killing.
11. Bugz
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| ("Bugz" Karnail Pitts) |
Died May 21, 1999 – (aged 21)
Real Name: Karnail Pitts (aka Bugz)
Pitts was a member of the rap group D12 with fellow up and coming rapper Eminem as well as rappers Proof, Bizarre, Kuniva, Swifty McVay, Fuzz, Scoota and Mr. Porter. Reports state that in the afternoon of May 21, 1999, before a show in Detroit, Bugz attended a picnic at a park called Belle Isle Park where an argument with a man and a woman over a water pistol escalated into an all out brawl. Witnesses reported that Pitts was trying to break up the altercation when the man went to his SUV and retrieved a firearm. Pitt’s was shot twice (some reports state four) in the back as he was trying to leave the scene. He was subsequently run over by the vehicle that the shooter was driving as he attempted to leave the scene. Even though the attack was captured on video and aired later that day on local news, the murder still remains unsolved.
10. M-Bone
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| ("M-Bone" Montae Talbert) |
Real Name: Montae Talbert (aka M-Bone)
Montae Talbert did not have a very long hip-hop résumé. In fact, although he was part of the upstart Cali Swag District, Talbert never actually did any vocals, leaving the lyricism to his colleagues. Instead, he took a dance popularized in Dallas — named in honor of '80s rap pioneer Doug E. Fresh — took it to California and restyled it for a new generation. In 2009, Talbert's moves went viral, garnering worldwide fame, and a hit single based on Talbert's choreography called "Teach Me How to Dougie" was so popular that it caught the eye of First Lady Michelle Obama, who incorporated the moves into her kids'-fitness campaign. But without warning on May 15, 2011, while sitting in a car with a friend, another vehicle pulled up and shot Talbert, killing him at the age of 22. Police still have no motive in the slaying, but some have speculated that many were jealous of Talbert's success. For their part, the remaining members of Cali Swag District released the album The Kickback in July.
9. Magnolia Shorty
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| ("Magnolia Shorty" Renetta Yemika Lowe-Bridgewater) |
Died Dec. 20, 2010 – (aged 28)
Real Name: Renetta Yemika Lowe-Bridgewater (aka Magnolia Shorty)
At its inception, Cash Money Records was dominated by men, including hitmakers Lil Wayne and Juvenile, who unleashed a unique Southern sound. Seeking to diversify the ranks, founder Bryan "Birdman" Williams sought a female act and signed Renetta Yemika Lowe, whom he nicknamed Magnolia Shorty because she came from New Orleans' Magnolia Projects. Along with singer Trishelle "Miss Tee" Williams, Lowe released a 1997 breakout debut album titled Monkey on tha D$ck, in 1997, which featured the hit "Charlie Whop." But, for reasons that remain unknown, in December 2010, the 28-year-old rapper was shot to death in a car not far from the Magnolia Projects that gave her her name. Another passenger, Jerome Hampton, 25, was also killed.
8. Big L
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| ("Big L" Lamont Coleman) |
Died Feb. 15, 1999 – (aged 24)
Real Name: Lamont Coleman (aka Big L)
Lamont Coleman grew up in an area of Harlem then known as the "danger zone" for its often violent crack-cocaine trade. A lyrical master, he sharpened his skills with street-corner rap battles and before long was part of the D.I.T.C. (Diggin' in the Crates Crew), one of New York City's best underground hip-hop troupes of the early 1990s. His work eventually won him notice from Columbia Records, which signed him in 1992 and released his debut solo album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, under the name Big L. Sadly, his story ends there. As he was recording his follow-up album and reportedly in talks to sign with Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records, Coleman was killed in 1999 at age 24 after suffering multiple gun-shot wounds just a few blocks from where he grew up. Initial reports speculated that his assailant either wanted vengeance against his then incarcerated older brother or mistook him for his brother. Gerard Woodley, 29, was charged with the murder, but was later released because of insufficient evidence. Three posthumous albums have been released.
7. Chris Lighty
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| (Chris Lighty) |
Died Aug. 30, 2012 - (aged 44)
Famed industry manager Chris Lighty was found dead in late August 2012 from a reported self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, allegedly, after having a heated argument with his estranged wife. Reports later surfaced that Lighty owed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the IRS and that he had left all of his earthly possessions to his wife, Veronica Lighty, with whom his relationship was rumored to be strained for years leading up to his death. Lighty’s family refused to believe he shot himself. A month after the death, former client 50 Cent, by the request of Lighty’s mother, ordered an investigation into Lighty’s death. Chris Lighty's death remains unsolved.
6. Shakir Stewart
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| (Shakir Stewart) |
Died Nov. 1, 2008 – (aged 34)
Beloved Def Jam Executive VP Shakir Stewart was responsible for signing acts like Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and Beyoncé. On November 1, 2008, Stewart was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the bathroom of his Atlanta home. He was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital, and the gunshot wound was reported as being self inflicted. Many of Shakir’s family and friends refused to believe that the 34-year-old mogul would take his own life and some conspiracy theories point to personal demons and ties with BMF as the cause of his death. In the books, his death remains a suicide.
5. Scott La Rock
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| ("Scott La Rock" Scott Monroe Sterling) |
Died Aug. 27, 1987 – (aged 25)
Real Name: Scott Monroe Sterling (aka Scott La Rock)
Scott "La Rock" Sterling's day job was social work, but he moonlighted as a club DJ. With a popular reputation, he needed a rapper to complement his skills. By accident, he met Lawrence "Krisna" Parker, a graffiti artist who was staying at the Bronx shelter where he worked, and the pair formed a group called Scott La Rock and the Celebrity Three. Later, Sterling and Parker (also known as KRS-One), along with Derrick "D-Nice" Jones, formed Boogie Down Productions and released a 1987 debut LP called Criminal Minded. With hits like "South Bronx" and the title track, the trio soon caught the eye of Jive Records execs who signed them to their label. But the success was short-lived. On Aug. 27, 1987, as he attempted to squash a fight between Jones and an enemy, Sterling was mortally wounded in a Jeep outside the Bronx's Highbridge projects and died hours later. The next year, Cory Bayne and Kendall Newland were arrested for the crime, but as the case had no willing witnesses to testify, they were acquitted.
4. Kadafi
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| ("Kadafi" Yafeu Fula, left, circa 1996) |
Died Nov. 10, 1996 – (aged 19)
Real Name: Yafeu Akiyele Fula (aka Kadafi)
Fula holds the distinction of being the youngest rapper on this list and may have been an eye witness to who pulled the trigger on rapper Tupac Shakur. He and Shakur had been childhood friends with their parents being long time members in the Black Panther party. Fula, a member of the rap group the Outlaws, was in a car following Tupac’s the night he was gunned down. Kadafi reported that he could identify one of the shooters, however, he was never interviewed by police after that fateful night. Sadly, two months later, Fula would be found slumped in the third-floor stairwell of an apartment building at 325 Mechanic Street, in Orange NJ wearing a bullet proof vest with a gunshot once in the head in what is believed to be a dispute over money. It has been reported that he was visiting his girlfriend at the time he was killed. The killer was never found.
3. Jam Master Jay
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| ("Jam Master Jay" Jason Mizell) |
Died Oct. 30, 2002 – (aged 37)
Real Name: Jason Mizell (aka Jam Master Jay)
Despite being best known for his work as one-third of the groundbreaking hip-hop group Run-DMC, Jason Mizell's cuts and scratches set him apart from his friends Joey "Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels. At the height of Run-DMC's reign during the '80s, the world learned about Mizell's turntablism through a long string of the group's hits including "Hard Times," the titular "Jam Master Jay" and the group's "Walk This Way" cover with Aerosmith. It was this unique style that allowed him to continue his work in hip-hop long after Run-DMC's popularity waned. Starting his own label, JMJ Records, in 1989, he produced breakout rap group Onyx and many others before reuniting with his two friends for Run-DMC's 2000 final album Crown Royal. Even though Mizell was well respected in the industry and had never dropped a diss track against another rapper, he was still a target. At age 37, as Mizell recorded in his Queens studio on Oct. 30, 2002, an assailant opened fire, killing him at point-blank range. Although several people were in the studio, no one admitted to having actually seen the shooter and no one has ever been arrested for the killing. To date, authorities say they have been unable to solve the case largely because of a lack of cooperation from witnesses.
2. Biggie Smalls (the Notorious B.I.G.)
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| ("The Notorious B.I.G.", "Biggie Smalls", Christopher Wallace) |
Died March 9, 1997 – (aged 24)
Real Name: Christopher Wallace (aka "The Notorious B.I.G.", "Biggie Smalls")
Christopher Wallace's ability to free-flow about his gruff Brooklyn neighborhood caught the eye of Sean (then Puffy) Combs, who signed Wallace to his then fledgling Bad Boy Records label. It was at Bad Boy that Wallace skyrocketed, adopting the moniker Biggie Smalls (later the Notorious B.I.G.) and releasing his quadruple-platinum debut album, Ready to Die, in 1994. But his rise was soon plagued with controversy after the 1994 robbery and shooting of his onetime rap compatriot, Tupac Shakur, which spurred a lyrical feud between Bad Boy and rival Suge Knight's Death Row Records (where Shakur recorded). The rivalry came to a head with Shakur's 1996 death, and though some theories speculated Wallace was involved, he was never formally implicated in the murder. He scarcely responded to the rumors, choosing instead to prepare for his sophomore release, Life After Death. Seeking to end the beef that had separated the two coasts, Wallace went to Los Angeles to promote the album. It was there that he was shot dead at the age of 24, when he was leaving the Soul Train Music Awards on March 9, 1997. Subsequent investigations never turned up a suspect, and the L.A. Police Department was later accused of negligence in the case. Sadly, the deaths of both Shakur and Wallace are regarded by many as a turning point from which hip-hop has never recovered.
1. Tupac Shakur
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| ("2Pac" Tupac Shakur ) |
Died Sept. 13, 1996 – (aged 25)
Real Name: Tupac Shakur (aka 2Pac)
An offspring of the Black Panther movement, the New York City–born, California-based Tupac Shakur (birth name: Lesane Parish Crooks) developed his vocal skills in inner-city America, watching and learning from the urban life he experienced firsthand as a child in Harlem and Baltimore. With his 1991 debut 2Pacalypse Now, Shakur showed he could be both explicit and charismatic. He espoused camaraderie with songs like "Keep Ya Head Up" and "If My Homie Calls" and abrasiveness with songs such as "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" and "Hit 'Em Up." But his fame and frustration soon led to a near fatal robbery at a Manhattan recording studio in 1994. The incident spiraled into a feud between himself and ex-friend Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, which escalated to a large-scale battle between East Coast and West Coast rap factions that eventually led to Shakur's untimely death at age 25. There are many theories as to who actually fired the fatal bullet at Shakur's chest as he left a boxing match in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996 (he died a week later), but after 15 years, the murder remains unsolved.