Died On This Date (December 20, 2013) Lord Infamous / Rapper For Three 6 Mafia

Lord Infamous (Born Ricky Dunigan)
November 17, 1973 – December 20, 2013

lord-infamousLord Infamous was an American rapper and co-founding member of the popular rap group, Three 6 Mafia who is credited with coining “crunk” to describe the style of southern hip hop they came to exemplify.  Formed in 1991, the group built a sizable underground following for their music that some have labeled “horrorcore” due to its darker elements.  Lord Infamous’ lyrics in particular, generally revolved around the occult, murder, suicide and Satanism.   Three 6 Mafia’s fourth album, 2000’s  When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1, reached #6 on the Billboard Top 200 on its way to selling well over a million copies.  In 2006, Lord Infamous and Three 6 Mafia parted ways due to a contractual breach with their record label.  Lord Infamous went on to form a label, Black Rain Entertainment, with longtime friend, II Tone.  The company released numerous albums by Lord Infamous and other hip hop acts from the Memphis area.  Earlier in 2013, Lord Infamous with original Three 6 Mafia members, DJ Paul, Crunchy Black, Koopsta Knicca, and Gangsta Boo formed Da Mafia 6ix.  They released their first mix tape, 6ix Commandments in November of 2013 while working on a new studio album to be released in 2014.  On December 20, 2013, Lord Infamous died at the age of 40.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

What You Should Own

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Click to find at amazon.com

 

Died On This Date (June 20, 2013) Lil Snupe / Aspiring Young Rapper; Protégé Of Meek Mill

Lil Snupe (Born Addarren Ross)
DOB Unknown – June 20, 2013

Lil-SnupeLil Snupe  was an 18 year old up-and-coming rapper who had recently signed with Meek Mill‘s label, Dream Chaser Records.  Born and raised in Louisiana, Lil Snupe started making a name for himself throughout the underground hip hop scene.  He was best known for his freestyle rap skills.  After listening to a 20-minute mixtape of the young rapper, Mill almost immediately called him to discuss joining his label.  According to local police, Lil Snupe was shot and killed at a Winnfield, Louisiana apartment complex at around 4:00 a.m. local time on June 20, 2013.  No further details were immediately released.

 

Died On This Date (May 1, 2013) Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly / Half Of ’90s Rap Duo, Kris Kross

Chris Kelly
June 11, 1978 – May 1, 2013

Chris Kelly on right.
Chris Kelly on right.

Chris Kelly is best remembered as one-half of the popular ’90s rap duo, Kris Kross.  Formed in 1990 with Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith when they were just 13 years old, the pair went on to have a major hit in 1992 with “Jump.”  That single, which appeared on their debut album, Totally Krossed Out, spent eight weeks at #1 on the Billboard singles chart and sold in excess of two million copies. The album from which it came sold upwards of four million copies in the US alone.  Kris Kross’ two follow-up albums went platinum and gold in the US respectively.  Kelly and Smith were also known for wearing their clothing backwards on stage.  Born in Atlanta, Kelly and Smith were discovered by Jermaine Dupri who helped land them a deal with Columbia Records’ Ruffhouse imprint.  In 1992, the duo hit the road with Michael Jackson, opening for his Dangerous World Tour.  They also appeared in Jackson’s video for “Jam.”  Throughout the ’90s, the guys made several cameos on various television shows and such.  They also recorded “Rugrats Romp” for the popular Nickelodeon program, Rugrats.  Kelly and Smith parted ways in 1998 but reunited for Dupri’s So So Def Recording’s 20th anniversary concert in 2013.  On May 1, 2013, Chris Kelly, age 34,  was found unresponsive in his Atlanta home and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.  Official medical reports concluded he died of a drug overdose.

What You Should Own

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Click to find at amazon.com



Died On This Date (February 21, 2013) Kenny Clutch / Oakland Rapper

Kenny Clutch (Born Kenneth Cherry Jr.)
DOB Unknown – February 21, 2013

kenny-clutchMember of the 27 Club

Kenny Clutch was an up-and-coming rapper from Oakland, California.  He had recently moved to Las Vegas where he was releasing music videos on youtube in order to build a following.  In the early hours of February 20, 2013, Kenny Clutch was apparently involved in an altercation that resulted in being fired upon by occupant(s) of another vehicle on the Las Vegas Strip.  The shooting reportedly lead to a fiery collision involving Clutch and a taxi cab.  The driver of the cab, identified as Michael Bolden, and a passenger were killed in the explosion.  Four other vehicles were apparently damaged as the alleged assailant fled the scene in his or her car.  In all, six others, besides those killed, were injured.  It was not immediately clear if Clutch was killed by gunshot or the resulting crash.  Kenny Clutch was 27 years old when he died.

Died On This Date (September 3, 2013) Matthew Africa / Popular San Francisco Disc Jockey

Matthew Africa
DOB Unknown – September 3, 2012

Matthew Africa was a popular hip-hop DJ in the San Francisco bay area.  Africa began building his following after he joined U.C. Berkeley radio station, KALX-FM.  Over a career that spanned some 20 years, he was revered for his ability to find rare soul and hip-hop vinyl nuggets and introduce them to his audience.  He went on to become a popular club, party, and event DJ while fans gobbled up his mix tapes.  In recent years, Africa could be heard on AllDayPlay.fm.  He also worked as an intellectual property attorney.  On September 3, 2012, Matthew Africa and his wife, Ha Le were driving home from Yosemite when, for unknown reasons, he reportedly lost control of his car and ultimately collided with a big rig.  While his wife was flown to a hospital with major injuries, Africa died from his injuries at the scene.  He was 40.