It's hard to cope with losing legendary or promising musicians, and unfortunately, 2018
has seen the untimely losses of a long list of rap artists.
From shootings, to substance abuse and poor health, we're looking back at the legacies
of some of the rappers who died in 2018.
Mac Miller
"I'm probably gonna cry a few times during the course of this thing, I'm an emotional
guy.”
Twenty-six-year-old rapper, Mac Miller, was found dead in his home from an apparent overdose
on September 7th, 2018.
Known for his artistic reinvention and witty wordplay, Miller struggled with substance
abuse and depression throughout his career.
According to Page Six, he was arrested and charged with DUI in May 2018 after crashing
his G-Wagon into a utility pole.
The accident occurred just days after his breakup with pop star Ariana Grande, who claimed
his substance abuse problems played a role in their split, tweeting:
"I am not a babysitter or a mother and no woman should feel that they need to be.
I have cared for him and tried to support his sobriety & prayed for his balance for
years."
Miller opened up about the incident, telling Beats 1 radio that the arrest changed him
for the better, saying,
"I needed to run into that light pole and literally like have the whole thing stop."
In August 2018, Miller claimed he did not have a drug problem, telling Rolling Stone,
"Have I done drugs?
Yeah.
But am I a drug addict?
No."
Following his loss, Miller's family released a statement that read:
"He was a bright light in this world for his family, friends and fans."
XXXTentacion
Controversial Florida rapper "XXXTentacion" first found fame with the track "Look At Me"
- first released to SoundCloud in 2015, then hitting the mainstream with its 2017 re-release,
according to XXL.
But X's rise - further accelerated by multiple Billboard-charting hits and his Number 1 album,
? - wasn't without blemishes.
By early 2018, Pitchfork reported the rapper was embroiled in legal issues tied to his
ex-girlfriend, including charges of domestic battery, false imprisonment, aggravated battery,
and witness tampering.
X maintained his innocence, but never saw his day in court.
"OK I know how it feels to be alone, I know how it feels to be around people and feel
alone.
Like I'll be around a million people and still feel alone.”
X was gunned down in Florida in June 2018.
As of late 2018, four suspects have been indicted, according to XXL.
Louis BadAzz
Twenty-nine-year-old Louis Robinson Jr., a.k.a. Louis BadAzz, got his first taste of fame
with his 2015 song "Let Me Thru Dis B." But tragedy struck just two years later.
Robinson was shot in a brazen daylight attack in Baton Rouge in May 2018.
He made it to a nearby hospital but died about an hour later, as reported by an ABC News
affiliate.
His mother told The Advocate,
"It's just got to stop.
I don't want anybody to go retaliate or somebody else get shot.
[…] It's just not worth it."
Smoke Dawg
"My name's Smoke Dawg, and I'm from Regent Park, and I make music to tell my story from
where I'm from.”
Canadian rapper Smoke Dawg, who's real name is Jahvante Smart, was best known for 2015's
"Trap House," but he blew up in 2017 when he traveled alongside Drake for his Boy Meets
World tour.
Sadly, Smoke's rise to fame was cut short when he was shot in a triple shooting outside
a Toronto nightclub in June 2018.
Following the incident, Drake posted on Instagram:
"I wish peace would wash over our city.
So much talent and so many stories we never get to see play out.
Rest up Smoke."
"I've seen a lot of s--t.
Growing up in my hood, I've lost a lot of people.”
As of late 2018, the Toronto Sun reports police are eyeing two suspects in the 21-year-old's
loss, which is rumored to be linked to a video Smoke filmed on a rival gang's turf,
according to the BBC.
Fredo Santana
"I get to be myself, you feel me.
I ain't gotta be in the streets all day every day like I used to be.”
Chicago drill rapper Derrick "Fredo Santana" Coleman battled drugs for years.
Rapper Vic Mensa said of his friend, via The Mirror,
"He spoke about his drug use and trying to escape the PTSD he had from growing up in
the hood.
[…] I call it post traumatic streets disorder."
But by October 2017, Santana's lifestyle reportedly landed him in the hospital for liver and kidney
failure, according to XXL.
During his stay, Santana even tweeted about possibly going to rehab, but he never made
a full recovery.
According to TMZ, the 27-year-old was discovered in his home, having died following a quote
"fatal seizure" in January 2018.
Jimmy Wopo
"I start thinkin’ about everything I do before I do it.
And I just programmed that s---.
And that's how I been stayin’ alive.”
Travon Smart, a.k.a. Jimmy Wopo, was on the rise thanks to his standout 2016 track "Elm
Street."
But the rapper's life was cut short at just 21 when he was shot in a double shooting
in Pittsburgh in June 2018, according to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
The incident reportedly happened just days after Wopo signed a deal with fellow Pittsburgh
rapper Wiz Khalifa's label, Taylor Gang.
Craig Mack
Craig Mack's legacy will always be connected to the '94 hit "Flava In Ya Ear," which put
Sean "Diddy" Combs' iconic Bad Boy label on the map.
The track went platinum, but Mack and his debut album, Project: Funk da World, would
be eclipsed by his labelmate, The Notorious B.I.G., whose critically-acclaimed Ready to
Die dropped just a week before Mack's project did, according to XXL.
"You know what type of dude I am.
You know what kind of muscle I got.
You know what I'm saying, right now you need to be in the studio.”
Mack was subsequently dropped from Bad Boy, and eventually left the industry, spending
the final years of his life as part of a religious community in South Carolina, per the Washington
Post.
According to Newsweek, Mack passed away from congestive heart failure in March 2018, at
47.
A1 Lil Tony
Rising Washington D.C. rapper Antonio Harper, Jr. - a.k.a. A1 Lil Tony - was shotin a
shooting in May 2018, leaving behind a growing social media following.
According to an ABC News affiliate, police reportedly believe Harper was targeted.
As of late 2018, there have been no arrests in connection with the 20-year-old's loss.
Lovebug Starski
The hip hop community was rocked by the sudden loss of legendary rapper and DJ, Kevin Smith
- better known as Lovebug Starski - in February 2018.
He was just 57 years old when he passed away from a heart attack, according to HipHopDX.
"Everybody knows you when you're a star.”
Starski was widely credited with coining the phrase "hip hop," but he arguably never got
the industry recognition he deserved.
Thankfully, he was immortalized on Biggie's classic '94 hit, "Juicy," with the lyrics:
"You never thought that hip-hop would take it this far / Peace to Ron G, Brucie B, Kid
Capri, Funkmaster Flex, Lovebug Starski."
Phanelli
Melvin "Phanelli" Batties was shot in the Bronx in January 2018, according to
the New York Daily News.
The paper reported the 34-year-old rapper was shot in the courtyard of a housing project
that he'd reportedly used to film 2017's "Half A Mil."
As of late 2018, no suspects are in police custody for Batties' loss, and the motive
remains unclear, according to the paper.
Big T
"When I jumped in the game…I was like late in the rap game…that wasn't my thang.
I was a hustler you know what I'm saying, I'm for real, I was for real a hustler.”
Big T was featured on Lil' Troy's "Wanna Be a Baller" in '99, which hit Number 70 on the
Billboard 200.
According to Billboard,
"Big T was nicknamed the 'Million Dollar Hook Man' and was frequently featured in releases
by other musicians."
Sadly, T passed away in May 2018, at the age of 52, of a reported heart attack, according
to Billboard.
C Struggs
"I'm doper than you.
I spit better than you.
But all that other s---, f--- that s---.
If it don't make no money, f--- that s---."
Dallas MC, C Struggs - who's real name is Corey Struggs - seemed primed for super-stardom.
He caught industry fire in 2016 when he collaborated with Rick Ross on "Do It."
But tragically, the rapper died in August 2018, at 32 years old, after battling cancer.
Insiders told told Urban Islandz that Scruggs was in good spirits and still working on music,
in the days leading up to his loss.
A source said,
"His loss is a big blow to the community.
[…] everyone love Struggs."
Jon James
"I guess I'm best known for kinda my innovative crazy stunts in the action sports world.”
Though fresh on the music scene, Canadian artist Jon James was also a professional skier,
and thrill seeker, according to his Insta.
But the 34-year-old's aspirations were cut short in a tragic stunt gone wrong.
According to James' management, via CNN, an October 2018 stunt for a music video involved
James rapping while walking on the wing of a plane - but James' weight reportedly sent
the aircraft into a downward spiral, which the pilot then landed safely.
But according to a spokesperson,
"Jon held onto the wing until it was too late, and […] he didn't have time to pull his
[parachute].
He impacted and perished instantly."
Young Greatness
"I mean I was faced with a lot of adversities, but I think that's what made me, that's what
made my story, you know, raw.”
Rapper Theodore Jones, better known as "Young Greatness," kicked off his career with his
Billboard-charting hit "Moolah" in 2015.
But before the Louisiana-born rapper could truly find success, he was fatally shot in New Orleans.
According to an NBC affiliate, on October 29th, 2018, the 34-year-old was sitting in
his car outside of a Waffle House when gunfire broke out.
Investigators reportedly found Jones with a single gunshot wound to the back.
Marley G
"I always been like most popular, all that s---, so it was just natural, you know what
I'm sayin, this s--- just hand to hand with this s---.”
According to HipHopDX, 20-year-old rapper, Marley G, had been enjoying a night out at
a Louisiana club on October 14th, 2018 when he and another man were shot.
A 28-year-old suspect was arrested and charged for the shootings, per KALB news.
Marley G leaves behind a legacy that includes his provincial hits "I Got Em" and "Worried
Bout It," as well as multitudes of fans.
HHP
“You have to make peace with yourself when you like close your eyes at night.”
South African rapper HHP - or Hip Hop Pantsula - shocked the world when he apparently took
his own life on October 24th, 2018.
But it appears it was an event that those closest to him, saw coming.
A childhood friend told the Sunday Times,
"It's hard to put into words.
[HHP] struggled with questions that couldn't be answered.
[…] There were countless times, hundreds of times, that made me go home and worry."
"You kind of have that moment where you just kind of like, explode man.”
He appeared to finally succumb to his troubles at the age of 38, leaving behind a note, per
TimesLive, that reportedly read,
"I'm depressed.
I am going out of control.
I'm losing it."
If you or someone you know is seeking help and support to deal with substance abuse or
mental health issues, please call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's
National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).