The Tragic Death Of Rapper Archie Eversole
Rapper Archie Eversole died on April 3 at 37 years old, per TMZ, after he got shot at a gas station on March 25. Shortly after his death, it was alleged Eversole's brother, Alexander Kraus, fired the shot. Authorities later apprehended Alexander and charged him with murder, but a motive is not clear as of this writing.
The Atlanta rapper was best-known for his infectious song "We Ready" which he recorded at 17, per TMZ. "We Ready" was widely used as a pump-up anthem for athletes since its release in 2002. Once news of Eversole's death broke, fans took to social media to pay homage to the musician while remarking on how indelible his ATL classic remained. Among those mourning Eversole was former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III. "The man who gave us 'We Ready,' the greatest Game Day anthem ever, has passed away at 37 years old. Rest In Peace Archie Eversole," he tweeted. "Archie Eversole put out one of the hardest songs of all time. Would have a kid w a candy bar ready to run through a brick wall," one fan wrote. "Buddy created a forever classic, that's been played a crossed every locker room," another added.
"We Ready" was not Eversole's sole anthem, as late in his career he made a major contribution to an Atlanta sports team.
Archie Eversole had so much love for Atlanta
In 2018, Archie Eversole wrote the track "United We Conquer" as the anthem for the soccer team Atlanta United. "A staple in the Atlanta hip-hop scene, Archie adopted Atlanta United before our first season and continued to be one of our club's most fervent supporters," the team said in a statement after his untimely death, per The Kansas City Star.
Just before the Atlanta United anthem was dropped, the "Rollin Hard" artist spoke about what went into crafting the song, and how his hometown influenced him musically. "Atlanta is the heart of all the music I've ever created," he told Fox 5 Atlanta at the time. "We a high energy city," Eversole added. The rapper mentioned how he tried to distill the feeling of attending the high-octane soccer matches into the anthem. "The energy level is amazing ... All I did was bottle that energy into what I call a musical creation and let them hear it."
Sadly, Eversole will never get the chance to craft another hit for the city he loved so dearly.