Rappers We Lost In 2020

After its seeds were planted in the '70s to its explosion into the mainstream in the '80s, rap became one of the defining musical genres of the 20th century and will continue to be an unstoppable force with its massive influence on culture, fashion, and every other musical genre. Rap is and always will be woven into the fabric of America — just ask Chance The Rapper. "Rap music is a combination of many different arts to make something new," the artist told Vanity Fair in 2017. "There's always been a stigma that its existence would be short and only appeal to a certain group — but it's the biggest music in the world."

Unfortunately, from Tupac Shakur to Nipsey Hussle, some of rap's biggest stars have been taken from us too soon over the years. And 2020 is turning out to be no different. From a New Orleans icon who defined a city's sound to a Minnesota native whose star didn't get the chance to shine its brightest, the rap world has sadly lost many voices this year. Although their lives were cut short, these rap artists have left behind legacies and instantly streamable music that will never be forgotten by their legions of fans. 

Let's take a look and memorialize the rappers who tragically passed away in 2020.

5th Ward Weebie, a pioneer of New Orleans bounce music, died in the hospital due to complications related to surgery for a ruptured artery on Jan. 9, 2020, The Times-Picayune reports. He was 42. In addition to an appearance on Drake's 2018 hit "Nice for What," Weebie (real name Jerome Cosey) was a local legend with songs like 2005's "F**k Katrina" and 2014's "Let Me Find Out." 

A member of the city's hip-hop sub-genre bounce music from the late '90s on, the rapper-dancer's death, which was mourned by countless fellow rappers like Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne, even rattled City Hall. Saying that his passing "broke [her] heart," New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell wrote in an emotional Instagram post: "He was an iconic personality, a New Orleans legend and a beloved friend. He was the bounce king who showed us how to move, how to love and how to bring passion and humanity to everything we do. New Orleans has lost a cornerstone of our culture. Our city will not be the same without his voice and his spirit."

Meanwhile, Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond said Weebie "embodied the soul of New Orleans" in an official statement. "A legend gone far too soon, I'm grateful his legacy will be ingrained in New Orleans culture for years to come," he continued. "I offer my support and condolences to Jerome's family during this difficult time."

Rapper Dee Dave was fatally shot outside an apartment building in Baltimore, Md. on Jan. 24, 2020, The Baltimore Sun reports. He was 29. Dee Dave, who's real name was David Leroy King Jr., is survived by his girlfriend and 10-year-old son. 

During an interview with Stop the Breaks in 2014, the late rap artist, whose most recent music release was "No More Humble" in December 2019, listed the likes of J. Cole, Drake, Dom Kennedy, Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, Hov, Jadakiss, Curren$y, and Joey Bada$$ as rap artists who "make great music" and help him "with ideas." However, he revealed how he felt "like hip-hop ain't breathing the right way" and jokingly added, "It's on life support ... so much garbage music being polluted."

Having also worked as a Baltimore Gas & Electric contractor, the rapper had been planning to head out to Atlanta mere hours after his untimely death to play a show that may have been his "big break," his family explained to The Baltimore Sun. Police later arrested Calvin Krasheen Fogg and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder in what The Baltimore Sun says was "a case of mistaken identity." Fogg had reportedly shown up to confront an associate of King over a woman the two both dated. Somehow, King was shot and killed shortly before his associate was also shot, but survived. Fogg has maintained his innocence and is awaiting trial, as of this writing.   

Brooklyn-born rapper Pop Smoke died in the early morning hours of Feb. 19, 2020, after being shot in the Hollywood Hills, Calif. home he'd reportedly rented, TMZ reports. He was 20. According to law enforcement sources cited by the publication, the artist (real name Bashar Barakah Jackson) had been attending a party when "[two] men wearing hoodies and masks broke into a house ... [and] fired multiple shots" before fleeing the scene. Pop Smoke was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The Los Angeles Times reported that police later charged "two teenagers and two adults" with murder, citing robbery as the motive. 

Per the Los Angeles Times, "[His] death came days after his second mixtape, Meet the Woo 2, landed at No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 list." This was a sequel to his "breakthrough mixtape," 2019's Meet the Woo, which has garnered 280 million global streams and featured the rapper's hit, "Welcome to the Party." It was later remixed with Nicki Minaj.

Many of rap's luminaries spoke out following Pop Smoke's untimely passing. "Rest Up Pop Smoke, you were too young. God Bless and comfort your family. What a crazy trajectory you were on man smh," Chance The Rapper tweeted, while Redman wrote, "Dnt Make No DAM Sense !! Pop Smoke was On His Way to Greatness..!! I was a Fan !! R.I.P Bashar Barakah Jackson ! My Condolences to Jackson Family !!!" Nicki Minaj wrote on Instagram, "The Bible tells us that jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Unbelievable. Rest In Peace, Pop."

Brooklyn rapper Nick Blixky, real name Nickalus Thompson, was shot and killed outside a building near Prospect Park, the NYPD told NBC News. He was 21. According to the report, Blixky "was shot in the torso and buttocks" and was found "unconscious and unresponsive" by emergency personnel. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. A parolee named Caliph Glean was later named as the lead suspect in Thompson's death, based on eyewitness accounts and surveillance footage that identified him as the shooter, according to the Daily News. 

A representative for Blixky, Nakim Garrison, confirmed the rapper's death in an email. "He was signed to me as an artist, and after working with him he became family," Garrison said, adding, "Very great young man I highly respected, and I don't respect that many young men in today's society." The rising hip hop star had a single titled "Drive The Boat" with more than 2 million views on YouTube. Hours before his death, Blixky announced on Instagram that his first mixtape, "Different Timin" was set to be released next month. ""JUNE 3RD‼️ I'm dropping my first Tape ever," he wrote, captioning the cover of the mixtape cover. "LOCK IN THE DATE. DIFFERENT TIMIN."

22gz, one of the artists with whom Blixky frequently collaborated, took to Instagram to offer his thoughts. "One of the realist and most loyal homies i got," he wrote, adding, "id never forget you bro & imma miss you. ... sleep easy bro and watch over us I love you save me a spot up there ya legacy could never die bro."

Brooklyn rapper KJ Balla (real name Kennedy Joseph Noel) was shot in the chest in the borough's East New York neighborhood on May 22, 2020, the New York Daily News reports. He was later pronounced dead at Brooklyn University Medical Center. He was 23. As of this writing, no arrests have been made in Noel's murder case, however a man who was "wanted for questioning" (per the Daily News) was shot and killed the following month in a drive-by shooting, with one of Noel's friends named as the driver of the getaway car.  

"He's never coming home," KJ Balla's mother, Valencia Smith, told the media outlet. "He was my only son!" Calling the drive-by shooter "cowardly," she went on to say, "Jealousy and envy overtook your hearts and took a very important piece of my heart. I'm so heartbroken. It'll never be the same for me." 

According to the Daily Mail, KJ Balla was best known for his songs, "Switch the Game," "Strangers," and "Cookin' Up." His latest single, "Back To Back," was released just a month before his death. Per the New York Daily News, the rising rapper had over 800,000 streams on Spotify at the time of his passing, and was also a co-founder of From Nothing Records. Speaking about her son's musical aspirations, Smith said that KJ Balla was "very charismatic" and started performing at an early age. "He used to dance on the trains when he was little. Then he started rapping," she explained. "He was really into his rap career, waiting for it to take off." A number of fans and fellow rappers alike have since paid tribute to KJ Balla on social media.

On Nov. 11, 2020, Dallas rapper MO3 was shot and killed during an altercation on Interstate 35. He was 28. TMZ reported that both MO3 (real name Melvin A. Noble) and his assailant were "traveling northbound" at the time of the fatal shooting. Dallas PD reported that MO3 "was shot multiple times by the unknown Black male suspect who fled the scene in a dark color sedan." A CBS affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth reports that MO3 "got out of his vehicle and began running southbound on the freeway" when the gunman approached and was killed after "suspect chased the victim and fired multiple rounds at him." A bystander was also shot. MO3 was transported to the hospital where he later died. At the time of this writing, the suspect remains at large.

"Empire has lost a member of our family today — Dallas' own MO3," the late rapper's label said in a statement on social media. "We share this horrible loss with MO3's family, team and fans. His infectious personality and unrivaled talent brought joy and therapy to his legions of followers across the country. We can only hope to continue his legacy and push forward with the same energy that MO3 shared with the world. Long Live MO3."

According to CNN, Noble's debut album Shottaz Reloaded was released in 2016, and his fifth album, Badazz MO3, was released in 2020.

On Nov. 5, 2020, Braxton "Brax" Baker's mother, Letricia Loftin Russell, announced that the Virginia-based rapper and social media influencer had passed away at the age of 21. The specific date and cause of her death is not known. "Our angel, Braxton Blue.B Baker has ascended," her mother wrote in the touching Instagram post. "At the time of her ascendance she laid in sacred form. There were no scratches, there were no bruises, her internal and external being was completely pure. It was a spiritual release. God retrieved the angel He loaned us."

Her mother went on to say that at the time of her death, Baker "was in spiritual retreat" and in the process of "composing two albums and three novels." In a 2018 interview with S, Baker spoke about what she hoped to achieve as an artist, saying, "My role is to create art straight from my heart. For I know that art will be pure, poetic, powerful, and healing. All I want to do is help the world heal. That's when things will begin to shift."

According to Billboard, Baker rose to fame with her 2017 mixtape VERSE(atility), which included the tracks "Lil' B***h" and "Don't Deny." She also collaborated with rapper Lil Peep, according to The Focus.

MF Doom aka Metal Face Doom, the cult underground rapper known for his intricate rhymes and signature mask, passed away at the age of 49. At the time of this writing, no cause of death has been released.

Born Daniel Dumile in London, hip hop's self-professed "supervillain" died on Oct. 31, 2020, but his wife and management team didn't announce his passing until New Year's Eve. "The greatest husband, father, teacher, student, business partner, lover and friend I could ever ask for. ... Thank you for teaching me how to forgive beings and give another chance, not to be so quick to judge and write off," his wife, Jasmine Dumile wrote on Instagram.

MF Doom made his debut in 1989 on the 3rd Bass track "The Gas Face" as part of the group KMD, then went on to release six solo albums and "five collaborative LPs" between 1999 and 2018, per The New York Times. Speaking with The New Yorker's Ta-Nehisi Coates in 2009, Dumile likened his impossibly complex flow to "comedy standup." Another writer at the same publication said that Dumile described his rhymes as having "no deeper meaning," that they were simply "a series of left turns to throw off the devil's pursuit."

But Doom fans and colleagues across genres felt there was so much more, like Radiohead's Thom Yorke, who called him "a massive inspiration," and A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, who described him as "your favorite MC's MC." But perhaps actor Riz Amed summed it up best, tweeting, "REST IN PEACE MF DOOM. Pioneer, poet, mad scientist, supervillain. One of a kind."