10 Rappers Who Have Been Shot And Killed

Pop Smoke is a rapper that got shot. This NYC Hip-Hop figure lost his life on February 19, 2020, following a home invasion.

Born Bashar Barakah Jackson, Smoke gained a lot of fame in the late 2010s for being a key figure responsible for the boom of a new type of Drill Rapper in a subgenre called Brooklyn Drill. Through the success of songs such as Dior and Welcome to the Party, the rapper was poised to take the mainstream by storm.

Sadly, Smoke would lose his life during what was initially thought of as a home invasion gone wrong but now is widely believed to be gang-related. It later was also revealed that the culprits found out the artist's address from Smoke himself showcasing many of his opulent belongings on social media.

Smoke's passing brought about a new awareness for gang-related rappers to be careful about what they post online.

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Young Dolph is another rapper recently lost to gun violence. Dolph passed away after being shot on November 17, 2021, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Dolph was a pioneer in the non-Atlanta style of Southern Trap and a friend and icon to many of his peers. One of his family members, Juice WRLD, was a rapper from Chicago that died young though his passing was due to substance abuse.

In Dolph's case though, he was shot while visiting one of his favorite restaurants, Makeda's Homemade Butter Cookies, which he always visited whenever he came home. He was fatally shot down by two gunmen in a white two-door Mercedes-Benz, and the rapper succumbed after facing 22 gunshot wounds.

Though a tragedy, many also celebrated the fact that Dolph had had the sense to make sure his family would be well taken care of after his passing.

Who shot Takeoff rapper? Takeoff was shot by Patrick Xavier Clark.

Best known as one-third of the prominent Atlanta trio Migos, Takeoff's rise to fame coincided with the rise of Atlanta Trap in mainstream Hip-Hop and then mainstream music as a whole. Though he was overshadowed by his more charismatic group-mates in the beginning, the rapper was seen by many as the trio's hidden weapon.

Just a month before his passing, Take had released an album with Quavo as their own separate entity outside of Migos. Many had seen this as the start of Take's rise to prominence on his own terms. 

Sadly, the rapper would be fatally gunned down, that too by a stray bullet, and reportedly passed away then and there. His loss would shock the world over, both in Hip-Hop and Pop music as a whole, which still hasn't recovered.

PnB Rock was the stage name of rapper and singer Rakim Hasheem Allen. The rapper was gunned down on September 12, 2022.

Best known as one of the prominent auto-tune crooners who became popular in the mid-2010s, Rock was one of the members of the 2017 XXL Freshman Class. From there on, he gained further recognition for his single Selfish and his collaborations with other artists like Ed Sheeran with Cross Me and YFN Lucci with Everyday We Lit.

Sadly, the rapper was robbed and gunned down while at Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles in South Los Angeles. He was there with his girlfriend, Stephanie Sibounheuang, who is also the mother of his two-year-old daughter.

The rapper reportedly gave his life while attempting to save his lover's life. Though he succeeded, the brave hero lost his own, in another tragic case of a rapper passing way too soon.

XXXTentacion was one of the most prominent voices of his generation. Though controversial, his music touched many. 

The rapper gained a cult following as one of the leading faces of the Soundcloud Rap boom of the late 2010s. However, he soon transitioned from making abrasive music to more depression and alienation-themed tracks that only served to bring him more fans.

Despite a history of allegations and legal troubles, X's fans had grown fond of the rapper's ability to mix a lot of genres and create music that spoke directly to the disaffected youth. It seemed like he was trying to make amends. 

Sadly, X would never get a chance to make amends, change, or even do anything at all as he was gunned down while leaving the Riva Motorsports Motorcycle & Marine Superstore by two armed men in a black SUV.

King Von is another rapper from Chicago who passed at a young age. A Lil Durk affiliate, the rapper was making a name for himself before his demise. 

Like many other rappers on this list, Von's passing was gang violence related as the rapper was part of Durk's record label and street gang OTF (Only the Family). As a Drill rapper, singing about his enemies and the many ways he ended their lives was part and parcel of the genre.

Sadly, his dangerous lifestyle ended up harming him when he lost his life at 26 in Atlanta on November 6, 2020. His end came about due to an altercation with another rapper, Quando Rondo, and his group outside Monaco Hookah Lounge.

The altercation turned into a gunfight and Von was shot many times. Though immediately taken to a hospital, he would pass away later in the day.

Nipsey Hussle passed away from gun violence on Mach 31, 2019 at the young age of 33. His passing especially shocked his native city of Los Angeles.

The reason why is because, unlike many rappers on this list, and in general, Nipsey had built an image and an ethos around giving back to the community. From the various rival gangs in the area to public officials to even the LAPD, everyone knew that he was a man who wanted to help.

In fact, just a day after he was slain, the rapper was supposed to hold a meeting with the LAPD and Roc Nation to come up with preventions for gang violence. Sadly, he would be gunned down at least 10 times at the parking lot of his store by Eric Ronald Holder Jr, who apparently had a personal reason for carrying out his crime.

JayDaYoungan was a young up-and-coming rapper who lost his life on July 27, 2022. The artist had just started making a name for himself in the mainstream.

However, Jay had been dropping music since 2016, when he was only 18 years old, and had even dropped out of high school to pursue a career in music. The Louisiana native had been releasing mixtapes right out the gate and in total had released 11 mixtapes, 2 EPs, and 1 studio album, and a posthumous release.

Sadly, he lost his life while sitting on the front lawn of his house alongside his father, Kenyatta Scott. Out of nowhere, a black truck filled with five armed gunmen came out of the vehicle and shot the young rapper and his dad, the latter of whom thankfully ended up surviving.

Lil Loaded is one of the rappers that killed themselves. The Texan Hip-Hop artist took his own life on May 31, 2021.

The 20-year-old apparently committed suicide through a gunshot to the head. He was found by his mother who immediately called the police, and even stated that he had done the deed because he'd had a breakup with his girlfriend the night before.

Though Loaded had never achieved mainstream success, he was known in the rap game from the late 2010s onward. In fact, he was edging closer to the popular consensus as the years were passing by as his only studio album A Demon in 6lue had peaked at #19 on the US Heatseekers chart.

Plus, his song 6locc 6a6y had been certified Gold by the RIAA. Sadly, due to his sudden passing, the world will never know what Loaded had to offer.

MoneySign Suede is a rapper killed in Jail. The rapper lost his life on April 25, 2023.

Unlike the other rappers on this list, the Mexican-American star was stabbed to death while staying at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He was only 22 years old.

His violent passing shocked everyone, even the prison officials, as he was known to be a popular and mild-mannered guy that no-one had any problems with. The rapper had been serving a sentence for two counts of firearm possession.