Died On This Date (June 7, 2012) Lil’ Phat / Up-And-Coming Atlanta Rapper

 Lil Phat (Born Melvin Vernell III)
DOB Unknown – June 7, 2012

Known professionally as Lil’ Phat, Melvin Vernell was an Atlanta area rapper who collaborated with Trill Entertainment’s Webbie and Lil’ Boosie on the 2008 hit song, “Independent,” which reached #9 on the Billboard singles chart and twice topped the rap charts.  On his own, Lil’ Phat released a handful of records including Life Of A Yungsta and Death Before Dishonor.  Police reports indicate that on June 7, 2012, Lil’ Phat was shot by an assailant or assailants in an area hospital parking structure.  Neither the suspect(s) nor a motive were initially determined.  Lil’ Phat was 19.

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Trap-A-Holics Present: Death Before Dishonor - Lil Phat

Died On This Date (May 4, 2012) Adam Yauch / MCA Of The Beastie Boys

Adam Yauch
August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012

Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

Known on stage as MCA, Adam Yauch was a founding member of influential hip hop trio, the Beastie Boys.  Born in Brooklyn, New York, Yauch taught himself how to play the bass and formed the Beastie Boys while still in high school. Initially a hardcore punk band, the Beasties began transitioning toward hip hop with their 1983 12-inch record, “Cookie Puss” – which quickly became an underground dance hit in New York City.  Within a year, they were full-on hip hop. In 1986, the group released their debut full length, Licensed To Ill, which, with a little help from MTV, made them international stars.  The raucous video for the album’s “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” is one of MTV’s most popular videos of all time.  Licensed To Ill went on to sell over 40 million albums worldwide and is considered one of the most influential albums of its era.  The Beasties released several more charting albums over the next two decades and in 2012 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Yauch directed many of the group’s videos along with their groundbreaking concert film, Awesome, I Fuckin’ Shot That, which was released in 2006.  Away from the Beasties, Yauch produced such albums as Bad BrainsBuild A Nation.  His likeness appeared in video games like NBA Street V3, Tony Hawks Proving Ground, and NBA Jam.  In 2009, Adam Yauch learned began treatment for cancerous gland. He ultimately died of cancer on May 4, 2012.  He was 47.

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Died On This Date (February 1, 2012) Don Cornelius / Creator & Host Of “Soul Train”

Don Cornelius
September 27, 1936 – February 1, 2012

Don Cornelius was the creator, writer, producer, and host of the extremely influential American dance program, Soul Train.  Launched in October of 1961 after Cornelius noticed a void of nationally broadcast television shows that catered to the African-American audience, Soul Train ran until March of 2006.  Cornelius hosted the program from its inception until 1993.  Soul Train has been praised for influencing countless African-American kids while bringing black music into the white neighborhoods.  Over the years, the show featured lip-synched performances by everyone from James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin, to Michael Jackson, Ice Cube and Prince.  Two popular segments of the show were the “Soul Train Scrabble Board” where two dancers tried to un-scramble letters to identify a significant person in African-American culture, and the oft-imitated “Soul Train Line” where the dancers formed two lines and then strutted their stuff with a partner down the middle.  In 1987, Cornelius launched the Soul Train Awards, a nationally broadcast program that honored the year’s best artists in R&B, Soul, Jazz and Hip-Hop.  The show ran until 2000.  Throughout the years, Cornelius was honored and/or parodied in countless sit-coms, rap songs, and films.   In the early hours of February 1, 2012, police responded to the home of Don Cornelius where they found him dead of what initially appeared to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  He was 75.

Thanks to Bruce Kilgour at Slipped Disc Entertainment for the assist.

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Died On This Date (January 7, 2011) Bobby Robinson / Prolific R&B Producer & Harlem Record Store Owner

Bobby Robinson
April 16, 1917 – January 7, 2011

Bobby Robinson was a pioneering R&B and later, hip-hop record producer, as well as a longtime record store owner.  He opened Bobby’s Record Shop in 1946, making it the first Black-owned business on Harlem’s famous 125th Street.  The store and cultural landmark remained open until he was forced to close in 2008 due to his landlord’s desire to raze and rebuild at that spot.  As a producer, Robinson had a hand in creating a string of R&B and hip-hop hits that stretched from the early ’50s through the mid ’80s.  The list of greats that he enjoyed success with includes Gladys Knight & The Pips, Lee Dorsey, The Shirelles, Elmore James, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Kool Moe Dee, and Doug E. Fresh.  Bobby Robinson was 93 when he passed away on January 7, 2011.


Died On This Date (December 30, 2011) Chrishun “Rapstar” Moore / Memphis Rapper

Chrishun Moore
June 4, 1990 – December 30, 2011

Crishun “Rapstar” Moore was an up-and-coming Memphis rapper.  A protegé of Let It Be Known Records CEO P. Moses, Moore was on his way to achieving his goal of being one of genres biggest stars.  Over the course of his relatively short career, Moore shared the stage with Bow Wow, Young Jeezy, and Yo Gatti.  Chrishun “Rapstar” Moore was just 21 when he suffered a fatal heart attack on December 30, 2011.