The world has lost a great number of legendary rappers over the last few decades,
each passing as tragic as the last. But what happened to these icons of the industry,
and just where are their final resting places? Here's where these rap legends are buried.
Born Gregory Edward Jacobs in 1963, Shock G became famous for forming the group Digital
Underground and discovering the talent of Tupac Shakur. In 1990,
Digital Underground released their first album, Sex Packets, which featured their number-one hit,
"The Humpty Dance." Known for their big-tent approach to live shows,
leading NPR to once describe them as "a carnival on wax," the group fashioned themselves as the
modern Parliament Funkadelic — and even sampled much of George Clinton's music.
After the success of Digital Underground, Shock G contributed vocals and production
to several of Tupac's albums. Over the years, however, it's been noted that
Shock G's influence on the hip-hop scene has been fairly underrated — despite his many, many hits.
On April 22nd, 2021, Shock G was found dead in a hotel in Tampa, Florida. He was 57 years old.
The rapper's funeral was held on May 1 at Allen Temple Church in Tampa, Florida,
and he was buried at Parklawn Memorial Cemetery.
DMX stood for Dark Man X, but he was born Earl Simmons in New York in 1970. He is probably
best known for his iconic, gravelly voice, as well as the song "Party Up
(Up in Here)." DMX got his start writing for other artists such as LL Cool J and Mase,
but it was his 1998 album It's Dark and Hell is Hot made him a star. His next two albums,
Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood and And Then There Was X, were chart-toppers,
too. He also had an acting career, starring in films such as Cradle 2 the Grave and Exit Wounds.
On April 9th, 2021, DMX died after suffering a heart attack caused by an overdose.
He was 50 years old. DMX's funeral procession was emblematic of his favorite things — motorcycles,
four-wheelers, and dirt bikes. DMX was then laid to rest at Oakland Cemetery in Yonkers, New York.
Otherwise known as Biggie Smalls, the Notorious B.I.G. was born Christopher George Latore Wallace
in Brooklyn, in 1972. He rose to fame in 1994 with his debut album Ready To Die,
with hits such as "Big Poppa" and "One More Chance" scoring him his
first Grammy nominations. But he would never release another album.
On March 9th, 1997, after leaving a Soul Train Awards after-party, Biggie was shot four times
while stopped at a red light, and his murder remains unsolved to this day. Biggie's body was
sent to his hometown of New York City for his funeral, after which he was cremated,
and his remains were given to family members. While fans aren't able to visit Biggie's final
resting place, they'll still find countless murals and memorials to him all over Brooklyn.
Rapper Tupac Shakur was born in Harlem in 1971. His mother gave him the name Tupac
Amaru, after a Peruvian revolutionary who was killed by the Spanish. Like most rap artists,
Tupac got his start featuring on other major rap albums first. He sang on Digital Underground's
song "Same Song," and then their album Sons of the P. He then released his first album,
2Pacalyspe Now, which turned him into a household name. Tupac went
on to release four more albums before his untimely death at just 25 years of age.
On September 7th, 1996, Tupac was stopped at a red light in Las Vegas when a car pulled up
and someone shot him four times. He died six days later from internal bleeding.
Tupac was cremated, and his remains were given to his mother, Afeni Shakur. She had plans to bury
his ashes in Johannesburg, South Africa, though it's not clear whether she succeeded or not.
Afeni also purchased nine acres of land in Stone Mountain, Georgia,
and turned it into a "peace garden" with a statue of Tupac standing in the center.
Unfortunately, she later sold the garden, and the statue was taken down.
The new owner has commissioned a new statue, though it has yet to be publicly unveiled.
"We look at death from a selfish side, like, you know that guy died. Oh,
that's so sad. Why is it sad? He's away from all that bad stuff that's here on earth."
Best known for founding the rap trio N.W.A. with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, Eazy-E was born Eric Lynn
Wright in 1964 in Compton, Los Angeles. The group rose to fame after the release of N.W.A. and the
Posse and Straight Outta Compton in the late '80s, becoming legendary after an FBI letter regarding
the anti-police sentiments in their music went public. After N.W.A. broke up in the '90s, Eazy
continued running Ruthless Records, discovering a number of great hip-hop acts along the way.
In 1995, Eazy was diagnosed with AIDS, and died on March 26th, 1995. There is some confusion with his
age. According to his birth record, Eazy was born September 7, 1964, however his death certificate
gives the year as 1963. His grave, as you can see, says 1963… Regardless, he was way too young.
Eazy had a large funeral attended by family members and fans alike.
Compton mayor Omar Bradley called him "Compton's favorite son" and recognized that:
"Eric made Compton famous not just in California, but all over the world."
Eazy was buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier. Those wanting to pay tribute to the
rapper used to be able to freely visit the grave site, but due to littering,
the family has requested that the cemetery staff not reveal its location to visitors.
Born Jarad Anthony Higgins in 1998, Juice Wrld was part of a new generation of artists
who became famous through SoundCloud. He started out posting songs online that he
had recorded onto his cellphone, and, by age 19, had landed a record deal with Interscope.
Sadly, just days after his 21st birthday, he died of a drug overdose.
On December 8th, 2019, Juice Wrld died while traveling to Chicago,
when his plane was investigated by federal agents. Reportedly, FBI agents were in the
middle of confiscating drugs and guns from his private jet when the rapper began to seize.
The agents tried to revive him, but he didn't make it. Toxicology reports showed he had died
of a drug overdose. Juice Wrld is buried at Beverly Cemetery in Cook County, Illinois.
Nipsey Hussle was born Ermias Joseph Asghedom in Los Angeles in 1985. Famous for both his music
and his entrepreneurism, he began releasing his own mixtapes and then eventually worked
with other artists such as Drake and Snoop Dogg. After leaving Epic, he created his
own label and sold his own mixtapes. By 2018, he'd been nominated for a Grammy,
and was seen as an inspiration to many for his grit, great music, and charitable spirit.
On March 31th, 2019, Nipsey was shot ten times in front of his Marathon Clothing store
in South Los Angeles. His accused killer, Eric Holder, is in prison and still awaiting trial.
After a very large funeral, Nipsey was buried at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills cemetery.
Today, his Marathon Clothing store still sits on the corner of Nipsey Hussle Square,
which has been named as such in his honor.
"The late great Neighbourhood Nip. Rest in peace, killer!"
Pop Smoke was born Bashar Barakah Jackson in 1999. He was the face of the Brooklyn
"drill" rap movement and had hit songs such as "Welcome to the Party" and "Dior."
He also went on to work with other big rap artists such as Nicki Minaj and Travis Scott.
Indeed, Smoke was just getting started when he was murdered in a home invasion.
On February 19th, 2020, Smoke was staying at a home in the Hollywood Hills when four suspects
entered and shot him. Four people, two teenagers and two adults, were charged
with the murder in July of that year. Smoke had an old-fashioned funeral procession in Brooklyn,
his body carried throughout the streets in a see-through horse-drawn carriage.
He was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
Born Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy in 1998, XXXTentacion first uploaded his
music to SoundCloud in 2013. His music was deeply confessional,
and he was often open about his issues with depression. By the time of his death in 2018,
XXXTentacion's album ? had made it to number one on the Billboard charts,
and he'd signed a $6 million recording contract. He died soon after, at just 20 years old.
On June 18th, 2018, in the middle of the day, XXXTentacion was leaving a motorcycle shop when
two masked men approached his car to rob him. One of them shot the rapper before leaving the scene.
Both have since been arrested. An open-casket memorial was held for XXXTentacion's fans at the
BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, and a private ceremony for close friends and family was held
later. He was laid to rest in a large mausoleum at the Gardens of Boca Raton Memorial Park.
Also known as Ol' Dirty Bastard, ODB was born Russell Tyrone Jones in 1968. He was best known
for being a member of the Wu-Tang Clan in the early 1990s — although he also released his own
album, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version in 1996, which earned him a Grammy
nomination. Speaking about the star, the author ODB's biography, Mickey Hess, later explained:
"The real tragedy of Dirty's treatment by the press is that for the most part he was only in
the papers for his outbursts and arrests, so when you outline his life in the headlines he
looks like a mixture of a clown, or a thug, or a superhero, like his life was performance art..."
Fans were drawn to ODB not only for his lyrics, but also his persona.
He brought a level of humor and edginess to hip-hop that had never been seen before.
Then, on November 13th, 2004, ODB died of a drug overdose at the Wu-Tang Clan Studios in
New York City. He was 35. ODB was cremated, and his ashes were given to family members,
although a mural to him still exists in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.
Born Jason William Mizell in 1965, Jam Master Jay was best known for
creating the epic street style of the hip-hop scene in the 1980s:
black clothes, fedoras, gold chains, and most importantly — Adidas.
Jam Master Jay began DJing at age 13. In 1982, he met Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "D.M.C."
McDaniels, and the three formed the group Run DMC. The group was hugely successful throughout the
'80s, with hits such as "It's Like That" and "Walk This Way." By 2002, Jam Master Jay was running his
own record label and had discovered such talent as Onyx and 50 Cent. And then tragedy struck.
"The shooting tonight in a recording studio in Queens,
taking the life of the man known as Jam Master Jay. His real name: Jason Mizell."
On October 30th, 2002, Jam Master Jay was at his studio in Queens when two
men broke in and shot him to death. After two decades of false leads and media speculation,
two men were finally indicted for the killing in 2020, although they have yet to go to trial.
Jam Master Jay was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Westchester, New York.
Born Robert Earl Davis Jr. in 1971, DJ Screw was famous for engineering the Houston rap style
"chopped and screwed," in which music is remixed and slowed down, distorting the voice with cuts
done by skipping beats and scratching sounds. He is also well-known for popularizing "purple
drank" — a concoction of codeine syrup and purple soda, usually mixed with lemonade and
poured over ice. Screw started "screwing" music as a teenager and sold the tapes on his own.
Before long, everyone wanted a screw tape, and DJ Screw became an underground sensation.
Sadly, DJ Screw died of a codeine overdose on November 16th, 2000. Those closest to
him reportedly insisted that it was his workaholic lifestyle that contributed to
his heart attack, just as much as drank. At the time of his death,
his regional renown had begun to spread, influencing artists such as T-Pain and Drake.
DJ Screw is buried at Cunningham Cemetery in Smithville, Texas.
Nate Dogg was born Nathaniel Dwayne Hale in 1969, and is most famous for the hit song "Regulate,"
which he sang with Warren G in 1994. Nate Dogg also collaborated with artists such as Dr. Dre
and Snoop Dogg over the years. As rap and R&B began to overlap more in the '90s and 2000s,
Nate Dogg and his experimental melodies became increasingly in demand.
At the time of his death, he had been nominated for four Grammys.
On March 15th, 2011, Nate Dogg died from complications from multiple strokes.
He had a stroke back in 2007 and had nearly recovered before suffering another in 2008,
which left the rapper partially paralyzed and breathing through a tube.
Nate Dogg's funeral was held at the Queen Mary Dome in Long Beach, where his friends Snoop Dogg
and Warren G. came to pay their respects. He is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Long Beach.
"Underground Kings. After eight albums, fourteen years together,
he dies, but you get a Grammy nomination."
"Wow, yeah. It was bittersweet, to say the least."
One half of the legendary rap duo Underground Kingz, Pimp C was born Chad Butler in 1973.
He and his partner, Bun B, were an underground sensation in the Houston rap scene, until they
signed with Bigtyme Records and released their first EP, The Southern Way, in 1988.
It wasn't until 1992 that UGK really broke through into the hip-hop world, however,
when they released Too Hard to Swallow, their first full-length LP.
In 2002, Pimp C was arrested for violating his probation and sentenced to eight years in prison.
After a number of protests and a grassroots 'Free Pimp C' campaign,' he was released in
2005 and placed on parole until 2009. The duo released their last album in 2007,
UGK: Underground Kingz, which was a critical and financial success. Later that year, on December
4th, Pimp C was found dead in his hotel room in Los Angeles from an accidental overdose of codeine
syrup exacerbated by sleep apnea. He is buried at Greenlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Groves, Texas.
Heavy D was born Dwight Arrington Myers in Jamaica, in 1967. He was the lead singer
of Heavy D & the Boys and often referred to himself as the "overweight lover MC."
Three of the group's five albums went platinum, and in 1995, Heavy D became president of Uptown
Records. He is also known for creating the theme song for the TV show In Living Color.
On November 8th, 2011, Heavy D died of a pulmonary embolism caused by deep vein thrombosis.
The blood clot had developed while he was on a long flight, which then reached his lung.
Up until then, Heavy D had continued recording and performing — his last performance was at
the 2011 BET Awards, just a few months before his death. He was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in L.A.
Big L was born Lamont Coleman in Harlem, New York, in 1974. He debuted with 1992's
Yes You May (Remix), eventually becoming well-known for his talent for lyricism.
Despite being signed to Columbia Records in 1993, Big L was considered too edgy
for the radio, making him more of an underground sensation. Nevertheless,
he eventually got to work with some of the biggest names in hip-hop, including Jay-Z and Tupac.
Tragically, Big L was murdered in February 1999. He was shot nine times while walking
down a street in Harlem, and his murder remains unsolved to this day. There have been multiple
attempts to release a documentary about his life and influence on hip-hop, but none so far
have been released. Big L was laid to rest at George Washington Memorial Park in New Jersey.
Chris Kelly was born in Atlanta in 1978, and is known as one member of the duo Kris Kross with
his friend Chris Smith. Their song "Jump" became a number-one hit when they were only 13 years old,
making them the first "lil" rappers to become famous. They also popularized the
trend of wearing their baggy clothes backwards. Sadly, the duo would never again release a song
as popular as 'Jump.' They parted ways after releasing their 1996 album Young, Rich and
Dangerous. Kelly continued to work in music after going to school to learn studio engineering.
On May 1st, 2013, the 34-year-old Kelly was found unresponsive, with multiple drugs in his system.
His mother said that he had used heroin mixed with cocaine the night before, so it is suspected
that he died of a drug overdose. Chris Kelly is buried at Westview Cemetery in Atlanta.
Proof was born Deshaun Dupree Holton in 1973. He was a founding member of the
million-earning Shady family, a collective that helped put
Detroit's music on the map. The family became particularly famous, of course,
following the success of Eminem. Proof is known for his albums Devil's Night and D12 World,
and he was a mentor at the heart of the Detroit hip-hop scene. At Proof's funeral, Eminem said:
"Without Proof, there would be a Marshall Mathers, but there would not be an Eminem,
there would not be a D12 and there would not be a Slim Shady."
On April 11th, 2006, Proof was murdered at the C.C.C. nightclub in Detroit. The police stated
that Proof had shot a man named Keith Bender Jr., who later died, before Bender's cousin,
Mario Etheridge, shot back and killed the rapper. Proof's casket was taken
by a horse-drawn carriage to his final resting place, Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.
Lil Peep was born Gustav Elijah Åhr in 1996 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He got his start
creating music in his bedroom at home and later moved to Los Angeles to pursue music.
He began uploading his songs to SoundCloud, where he developed a large following. Lil Peep made two
mixtapes, Crybaby and Hellboy, and then released the album Come Over When You're Sober Part 1.
Sadly, on November 15th, 2017, Lil Peep died of a drug overdose in Tucson,
Arizona. He was only 21 years old. The rapper had been touring extensively,
performing in the U.S. and across Europe, and was on tour when he passed. Lil Peep was cremated,
and his ashes buried in his grandfather's garden.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please call the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Administration's 24/7 National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP. That's 1-800-662-4357.