Gone too soon. Rappers we lost in 2022.
Throughout 2022, we have lost quite a few rappers and pioneers in the music industry who created a different sound and wave to Black culture and the world at large.
We pay respect to the rappers who have passed away in 2022 and the legacies that will continue to live:
1. Takeoff
Source: Getty
Takeoff, a member of the award-winning rap group Migos has passed away. The rapper’s death was confirmed by TMZ.
According to reports, the shooting took place Tuesday morning at a bowling alley in downtown Houston. Officials arrived to a large crowd and a man reported to be Takeoff with a gunshot wound to the head or neck.
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Takeoff, born Kirshnik Khari Ball along with Quavo and Offset formed the Migos in 2008. The group gained notoriety with their first hit “Versace” in 2013. In 2016, the group reached new heights when their song “Bad and Boujee” reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
In 2018, Takeoff released his only solo album, “The Last Rocket” and was currently promoting his collaborative project “Only Built for Infinity Links” with Quavo underneath the name “Unc and Phew”
Takeoff was only 28 years old.
2. Pat Stay [September 4]
Drake went to Instagram to pay his respects saying “RIP to the Sucka Free Boss @patstay_902 one of my fav rappers ever,”
3. Trouble [June 5, 2022]
4. Lil Keed [May 14]
5. DJ Kay Slay (April 17, 2022)
6. Snootie Wild [February 26, 2022]
7. Tdott Woo [February 1, 2022]
Drill rapper TDott Woo lost his life in a shooting in Brooklyn, New York, in February. ABC News reports that the rapper (real name Tahjay Dobson) was outside when a bullet struck him. Woo was friends with Pop Smoke — one of the rappers who died in 2020 in a home invasion — and had apparently just finalized a recording contract with Million Dollar Records in the hours before his death. He was 22.
8. Wavy Navy Pooh [January 14, 2022]
Miami rapper Wavy Navy Pooh was killed in an ambush shooting as he drove with two young children.
9. J $tash [January 5, 2022]
Rapper J $tash died in a murder-suicide. He reportedly shot and killed his girlfriend, 27-year-old Jeanette Gallegos in front of her three children, in a California residence before turning the gun on himself. J $tash was from Florida and had gained attention for his 2014 song “Guerillas.”
