Getty Mourners light candles on May 18, 2105 at a makeshift memorial for rapper Chinx. Although not from 2019, the memorial is a reminder of the tragedy that marks many musicians' lives.
Fans are still reeling from the shocking shooting death of Nipsey Hussle. Sadly, he is not the first rapper to have died in 2019. Far too many been killed, even so early in the year. Hussle’s death is a reminder of just how short rappers’ lives can be. Here is a chronological list of musicians whom we know were killed since January 1, 2019. This is a developing story.
Veeno Gunna – January 6, 2019
St. Louis rapper Veeno Gunna (Vincent Sanders) was shot and killed in St. Louis on January 6, 2019. He was shot once in the chest at the intersection of South Broadway and Chippewa around 3:30 p.m. His friends said he was trying to help his niece, who was having trouble with a man who was “pestering” her, on the day he was killed. According to KMOV, Gunna had gotten into an argument with a man, resulting in Gunna punching the man, and then the man pulled out a gun and shot him.
Christopher Rainey, 42, was arrested and faced charges of second-degree murder, KSDK reported. Court documents said that Rainey got in an argument with two teens at a gas station and Veeno Gunna showed up to help the teens. That’s when he and Rainey got into a fight. Rainey claimed the shooting was self defense. Court documents said he shot twice at Veeno Gunna, who then backed away before he was shot in the chest.
Veeno Gunna’s producer, Jay E., said Gunna had “star qualities” and everything needed to be a successful artist.
Kevin Fret – January 10, 2019
Kevin Fret was described as Latin Trap’s first openly gay pioneer, Paper Magazine reported in April 2018. On January 10, 2019, Fret was shot eight times while riding a motorcycle on Eduardo Conde Avenue Santurce in Puerto Rico. His social media posts were deleted after his death. He was also an LGBT activist, CNN reported, and his death was part of a wave of violence in Puerto Rico, which had seen 24 murders so far at the time of his death.
Nina Ross Da Boss – January 10, 2019
Nina Ross Da Boss (Jimmiel Spillman-Ingram) was shot and killed on January 10, 2019 in Tampa, Florida, Patch.com reported. She and an unidentified man were in a car when they were shot and killed on the 8700 block of North Tangerine Place.
She had a large following. On Instagram alone, nearly 38,000 people followed her at the time of her death.
Nina Ross Da Boss, 31, left behind six children. The youngest was only two months old.
The last reports about her shooting did not name a suspect. Her mother-in-law said she did not believe Nina was the target, but thought she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, Rolling Out reported.
Willie Addison (Boss Goon) – January 16, 2019
Willie Addison (aka Boss Goon) was shot and killed in Jacksonville, Florida on January 16, 2019, First Coast News reported. He had performed in a rap show earlier that night before he was killed in a drive-by shooting near Spring Park and Emerson. He was killed and five others were wounded by gunshot wounds. They had just attended a rap event at the Paradise Gentlemen’s Club on Baymeadows Road.
T. Kizer Tha Dummy (aka TK) – January 26, 2019
T. Kizer Tha Dummy (Terrance Lamont Kinard) an El Paso-based aspiring rapper and hip-hop artist, was shot and killed at a house party on January 26, 2019, the El Paso Times reported. His video “Best of Me” had just been posted online four days earlier and was getting strong, positive reviews. He was only 20 when he died.
He was also a talented football player and he was captain of his high school’s baseball team. He was turning his life around after being arrested in April 2018 for allegedly firing a handgun during a gang-related street shooting. No one was injured. He pleaded guilty and was given deferred adjudication.
Jayo Sama – January 27, 2019
Jayo Sama, an up-and-coming rapper in West Palm Beach, Florida, was shot and killed on January 27, 2019. He was only 22. He was found dead inside a car on 72nd Way near Palm Beach Lakes High School. The driver fled the scene.
Just a month before he died, he released a song dedicated to his fallen friends called “You Sleep.” In an Instagram post on December 8, 2018, he said his girlfriend, Sofia Veronica, was pregnant. They had a gender reveal party, revealing the baby was going to be a boy.
Willie Bo – February 9, 2019
Willie Bo, whose real name is Willie McCoy, was an up-and-coming rapper who was shot and killed by police while he slept in his car at a Taco Bell with a gun in his lap. His family’s lawyer said he was shot at least 25 times. McCoy was only 20 and had fallen asleep at a Taco Bell around 10:30 p.m. A disturbing video just released by police showed that he was asleep and had only moved his hand to scratch his shoulder when he was shot, The Guardian reported.
Willie Bo had been growing in popularity. His song “Song for You” was viewed nearly 200,000 times on YouTube at the time of his death.
Tata Chapo – February 15, 2019
Tata Chapo (Tauhid Collins), a 17-year-old rapper from Southwest Philly, was shot and killed on February 15, 2019, Philly Trib reported. The shooting happened on the 5800 block of Angora Terrace. He was rushed to the hospital but didn’t survive.
His mother graduated from nursing school the same day he was shot and killed, NBC 10 reported. At the time of his shooting, no arrests had been made.
Lil Mister – March 15, 2019
Chicago rapper Lil Mister (Antwon Fields) was killed on Friday night, March 25, 2019, Hip Hop DX shared. He was only 24. About 7:15 p.m., he was shot in the head in a South Side Englewood neighborhood. Lil Mister was Lil Durk’s cousin.
Tech 9 – March 25, 2019
On March 25, 2019, Tech 9 (Akhiym Mickens) died at the age of 32. He left behind two young daughters. He was a well-known rapper from Philadelphia. His last Instagram post was a tribute to his late sister in December 2018. He wrote: “9 years to this date my sister passed away leaving us with many questions however Allah makes absolutely no mistakes! We love you … rest up Queen.” In 2017, he wrote on Twitter that his sister had been murdered in 2009.
His last recorded battle was in July 2018 against Geechi Gotti.
His cause of death was not made public. His friend, rapper Buttah From-Da Block, said they were waiting on an autopsy and there were no signs of physical harm on his body when he was found, Newsweek reported.
Jon Whitfield – March 25, 2019
Jon Whitfield, a Houston-born rapper, was at his recording studio on Reed Road when he was shot and killed during a robbery on March 25, 2019, Chron.com reported. According to police, the suspects demanded money and drugs before shooting him. Another man was held at gunpoint but not injured. However, Whitfield’s daughter doesn’t believe it’s a random robbery. She told the Houston Chronicle that she thought her dad knew the shooter and believes it was a setup.
Whitfield was an entrepreneur who wrote rap songs with Hoodkat Music Group studio. He was considering investing in real estate before his death. He also enjoyed doing freestyles.
Nipsey Hussle – March 31, 2019
GettyNipsey Hussle
Nipsey Hussle, whose real name is Ermias Joseph Aghedom, died after he was shot multiple times in front of his clothing store in Los Angeles on March 31, 2019. Two other people were reportedly also shot, and a man fled in a vehicle after the shooting. A few hours before the shooting, Nipsey had tweeted: “Having strong enemies is a blessing.” TMZ reported that the shooting was gang-related.