Over half of fallen hip-hop and rap artists have died by homicide, according to a study done by a professor at the University of Sydney in 2015. The same study revealed these artists’ average life expectancy to be between 25 and 30, significantly lower than that of artists of other genres.
The high murder rate among rappers and hip-hop artists reflects the extremes of the rising gun violence epidemic in the United States. According to a study performed by the University of Michigan and Cornell University, the homicide rate in the U.S. is over seven times higher than that of any other industrialized economy, and 80% of these homicides were a result of guns.
The biggest difference between the epidemic of gun violence among rappers and that of the broader U.S. is that rappers are commonly blamed for their victimization. In fact, politicians have even deemed the rap industry culpable for other incidents of gun violence by ‘glamorizing guns’ in their music.
Van Lathan, the host of a new investigative docu-series called ‘Hip Hop Homicides’, explains that the violence prominent in the rap and hip-hop industries is a result of the marginalized upbringings and system failures that the majority of artists fell victim to. “The violence that they’ve had to lean on in order to preserve their life for a long time doesn’t just go away. People say, ‘Do better.’ It’s not that simple,” said Lathan in a 2022 interview.
While many people involved in the rap scene do admit that it may be perpetuating the wrong narrative around violence and street life, they emphasize that rap is the only option for many lower-income, inner-city youth to escape the struggles of their situation. It’s important to note that the struggles and themes frequently discussed in rap music, such as gang involvement, police persecution, state-sanctioned violence, poverty and drug use all emerged from the systemic oppression of people of color.
“Despite the blame placed on rap for the prominence of violence in American society, hip-hop music is a symptom of cultural violence, not the cause. In order to understand hip-hop, it is necessary to look at it as the product of a set of historical, political and economic circumstances and to study the role it has served as a voice for those subjugated by systematic political and economic oppression. If the issue of violence in rap music is to be effectively addressed, the root of the problem–disparity in resources and opportunities for urban minorities–must be aggressively dealt with,” said Becky Blanchard, a scholar who wrote “The Social Significance of Rap and Hip-Hop Culture.”
The death rate in the rap industry has been compared to the other ‘deadliest professions in the U.S.’ and rappers are, in theory, experiencing more of an occupational hazard than people in the military. News sources say that gun violence has killed at least one famous rapper every year since 2018, though this doesn’t account for the large number of lesser-known rappers who have also fallen victim to gun violence in the past five years.
This playlist highlights five well-known rappers who have been shot and killed since 2020. While this is only a small fraction of the rappers killed by gun violence in this period, selecting popular artists is effective in bringing more attention to the issue. This playlist pays tribute to these rappers’ lives as well as their contributions to the industry and the legacy they have left in the rap scene.
Pop Smoke (1999-2020)
Pop Smoke was born on July 20, 1999, in Canarsie, Brooklyn and entered the music industry at age 19 after finding himself in a recording studio with a friend and decided to try out rap for the first time. He released his debut single called “MPR (Panic Part 3 Remix)” in late 2018 but didn’t go viral until August 2019 when he released “Welcome To The Party.” His music style was influenced by growing up in Brooklyn and the complex nature of East Coast rap, but his rap generally falls more into the category of drill. Pop Smoke’s music is characterized by its catchy hooks, his gravelly vocals and his creative lyrics and ad-libs. His most well-known songs are “Dior,” “What You Know Bout Love” and “For The Night,” all of which went viral on Tik Tok and are recognizable by almost anyone of his generation. On Feb. 19, 2020, Pop Smoke was on vacation in Los Angeles when he was shot in a home invasion robbery-turned-murder in the Hollywood Hills mansion he was renting. He had posted a photo of a package with the address he was staying at, leading four young men to break in to rob the rapper, confronting him while he was in the shower, and eventually shooting him three times. He had been in the rap scene at that point for less than two years and was a mere 20 years old at the time of his death. On July 3, 2020, a posthumous album called “Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon” was released, and a year later on July 14, 2021, another album called ‘Faith’ with more of the rapper’s unreleased music. The following five songs showcase Pop Smoke’s brief but influential time in the Brooklyn Drill scene as an up-and-coming rapper.
War (feat. Lil Tjay) – War – 2019
Feeling – Meet The Woo – 2019
Armed N Dangerous-Charlie Sloth Freestyle – Meet The Woo 2 – 2020
Tunnel Vision (Outro) – Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon – 2020
Beat The Speaker – Faith – 2021
King Von (1994-2020)
King Von was born in Chicago on Aug. 9, 1994 and grew up in the southside in the Parkway Gardens Projects, where he was allegedly a member of the Black Disciples gang. He emerged in the Chicago rap scene in a post-drill era, having released his first single “Beat Dat Body” in June of 2018. However, his first viral song was “Crazy Story” telling the story of a robbery turned shootout which was released in December of 2018 after signing with long-time friend Lil Durk’s record label Only The Family. His music is characterized by its storytelling and witty manner of reflecting on gang violence and street life, bringing to light the struggles of gang involvement, poverty and police persecution in Chicago. Von was shot and killed on Nov. 6, 2020 outside of a hookah lounge in Atlanta at the young age of 26 after a physical altercation with rapper Quando Rondo led to his friend Lul Timm opening fire on Von and hitting him multiple times. Von is most well known for his song “Took Her To The O.” Though the album that was released after his death, “What It Means To Be King” also received significant attention and his legacy will live on in the Chicago rap scene and beyond. The first song is one of Von’s early singles and the following four songs are from one of each of his four albums, all of them tracks that received less attention than his most popular songs.
WAR With US – Single – 2018
Tuff – Grandson, Vol. 1 – 2019
See Me Make It. – Levon James – 2020
Demon – Welcome to O’Block – 2020
Evil Twins (ft. Lil Durk) – What It Means to Be King – 2022
Young Dolph (1985-2021)
Young Dolph was born in Chicago on July 27, 1985 but grew up and spent most of his life in Memphis, Tennessee, with one of his first releases being titled “South Memphis Kingpin.” Dolph released his first mixtape, ‘Paper Route Campaign’ in 2008 but didn’t become a well-known name in the rap scene until the debut of his “King of Memphis” album in 2016. On Nov. 17, 2021, Dolph was fatally shot in a drive-by while buying cookies at a local bakery that he frequented. The community built up a memorial outside of the bakery that remained for four months after his death and the city of Memphis eventually named a street in honor of the 36-year-old rapper. Dolph is not only remembered and lived on through his people in Memphis, but from millions of fans across the country who continue to listen to his music. He has many well-known songs, but some of the most popular are “100 Shots,” “Major” and “1 Scale.” His music was influenced by early hip-hop and trap in the South and is characterized by its creative rhymes, unique vocals and unmistakable ad-libs. His content is mainly personal experiences about his journey from living in poverty with his grandma to reaching the top of the charts, but a lot of his content also reflects on street life and inequalities he has experienced, as well as the occasional diss track. One year after his death, unreleased content was collected to produce a final album, “Paper Route Frank,” and the following songs are a tribute to over a decade of Dolph making music.
I’m Gone – Welcome To Dolph World – 2010
Hypnotized – South Memphis Kingpin – 2013
Nervous – Rich Crack Baby – 2016
1 Hell of a Life – Dum and Dummer – 2019
Woah – Paper Route Frank – 2022
JayDaYoungan (1998-2022)
JayDaYoungan was born on July 15, 1998 in the small town of Bogalusa, Louisiana and entered the Southern rap scene when he released his first mixtape “Ruffwayy” in 2017 at age 18. He was an up-and-coming rapper whose unique sound was popular in the South but was just starting to gain traction across the rest of the country. On July 27, 2022, less than two weeks after his 24th birthday, he was shot more than eight times outside of his Louisiana home in a premeditated ambush. According to Jay’s father, the two of them were sitting on their porch when five gunmen surrounded them and opened fire. Jay’s father was shot two times in the arm and the two rushed to the hospital, where Jay underwent surgery and was later pronounced dead. Jay’s first big hit was a single he released in 2018 called “Interstate,” but his most listened to song to this day is “23 Island” from his album “Misunderstood” which was released in 2019. His beats have a clear southern influence that is brought together with his expressive vocals to produce his unique sound. Jay’s lyrics tend to tell stories of the struggles he has faced and his accomplishments on his journey to fame and fortune, and he will not be forgotten by his Louisiana supporters and his 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His most recent album “Forever 23 2x” was released about 6 months after his death and the following five songs provide a chronicle of his music through the years.
What I Be On – 23 – 2018
Ain’t Want To – Forever 23 – 2018
Shooters – Misunderstood – 2019
Hellcat – 23 is Back – 2021
Head Hurt – Forever 23 2x – 2023
Pnb Rock (1991-2022)
Pnb Rock was born Dec. 9, 1991 in Philadelphia, where he grew up listening to gangsta rap that inspired him to try his luck in the music industry. His first mixtape was called “Real N***a Bangaz” which was written while he was in jail and was released in June of 2014, receiving local attention and support, though the rapper didn’t become nationally recognized until the release of his single “Selfish” in December of 2016. His music doesn’t quite fit into one category, it combines elements of RnB and soul in its beats and relaxed nature, Gangsta rap in the content of his verses and catchy choruses that are comparable to pop music. The rapper/singer/songwriter tells stories from his life starting from growing up in poverty to his involvement in crime and street life, as well as recollections from his romantic life and the newfound pleasure and luxury of his success. On Sept. 12, 2022, 30-year-old PnB Rock was eating with his girlfriend in a waffle house near his home in Los Angeles when he was confronted by a 17-year-old boy who demanded his possessions and then proceeded to shoot him. He was rushed to the hospital where he died within the hour after the allegedly targeted attack of the rapper. Longtime friend and collaborator of the rapper, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, released their joint single “Needed That” in December of 2022 in honor of the fallen artist. Aside from ‘Selfish’ some of his most popular songs are “MIDDLE CHILD,” “Horses” and “Notice Me,” though the following five lesser-known songs illustrate his talent and the variety of musical styles within his albums.
Who Changed? – RNB3 – 2015
Smile – GTTM: Going Thru The Motions – 2017
Choosin’ – TrapStar Turnt PopStar – 2019
That’s My Bad – 2 Get You Thru The Rain – 2021
Lately – SoundCloud Daze – 2022
