187 Proof: 10 Hip-Hop Deaths (Other Than Tupac & Biggie) That Remain Shrouded In Mystery - Page 2

Hip-Hop has seen its share of rapper deaths over the years, from Scott La Rock to Slim Dunkin.’ No matter how many times it happens, it always comes as a shock, even if the rapper or Hip-Hop personality is living that hella reckless Y.O.L.O. life. But it’s the senseless rap killings that go unsolved that seem to peek the most interest from the public.

The unsolved deaths of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. have hung over Hip-Hop like a dark cloud for over a decade and every shred of so-called evidence that comes forth still attracts the same interest as if it were the day the two rap icons lost their lives. Pac and Big may be the most famous Hip-Hop cold cases but there are dozens of deaths in Hip-Hop community that have gone unsolved, or whose explanations have caused the decease’s family to think something was fishy.

A few of Hip-Hop’s most famous rapper casualties have allegedly been handled in the streets ala Soulja Slim and Mac Dre. But here are 10 Hip-Hop deaths that went unsolved by authorities, raised suspicion and remain shrouded in mystery to this day…

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Photo: Big L

Shakir Stewart

Beloved Def Jam Executive VP Shakir Stewart was responsible for signing acts like Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and Beyoncé. On November 1, 2008, Stewart was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the bathroom of his Atlanta home. He was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital, and the gunshot wound was reported as being self inflicted. Many of Shakir’s family and friends refused to believe that the 34-year-old mogul would take his own life and some conspiracy theories point to personal demons and ties with BMF as the cause of his death. In the books, his death remains a suicide.

Yaki Kadafi

Tupac protégé Yaki Kadafi was gunned down just two months after the murder of Pac himself. The 19-year-old rapper was killed while visiting the East Orange, NJ apartment of his girlfriend. According to his girlfriend he joked, “What if it’s somebody coming to kill me?” before answering a knock at the door and being shot. Kadafi was one of the only witnesses to Tupac’s murder and reportedly said he could identify one of the shooters. Conspiracy theorist believed he was killed to keep his knowledge of the shooter under wraps. His murder remains unsolved.

Chris Lighty

Famed industry manager Chris Lighty was found dead in late August 2012 from a reported self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, allegedly, after having a heated argument with his estranged wife. Reports later surfaced that Lighty owed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the IRS and that he had left all of his earthly possessions to his wife, Veronica Lighty, with whom his relationship was rumored to be strained for years leading up to his death. Lighty’s family refused to believe he shot himself. A month after the death, former client 50 Cent, by the request of Lighty’s mother, ordered an investigation into Lighty’s death.

Fat Pat

Houston underground legend Fat Pat was murdered in February 1998 at the height of his success. The original Screwed Up Click member was reportedly found shot to death after going to an apartment to collect an appearance fee from a promoter. Rumors claim Pat was set up by a big time drug dealer known as “Weasel” in retaliation for a robbery. The killing remains unsolved.

Stretch
Former Tupac affiliate Stretch was killed in November 1995 after three men pulled alongside his minivan and opened fire in NYC’s Queens Village. Pac and Stretch, born Randy Walker, had been close friends and collaborators until the 1994 Quad Studio shooting that left Pac riddled with bullets. Pac later denounced Stretch and had harsh words for the 6′ 8″ rapper in a VIBE interview for not coming to his aid. Stretch was killed on the one-year anniversary of the 1994 Quad Studio shooting. Almost at the exact minute Makaveli had been shot a year earlier in the attempted robbery. “Its weird,” stated an officer on the scene about the time coincidence. Some rumors claim the killing was retaliation for the Tupac shooting. The murder remains unsolved.

Big Hawk
The younger brother of slain Houston rapper Fat Pat, Big Hawk was killed in May 2006. The rapper was reportedly going to a house to meet a friend, and was gunned down while waiting. The circumstances of the murder are eerily similar to that of Fat Pat who was killed six years earlier. The only clues authorities had about the murder were reports of a white compact car with tinted windows in the area around the time of the shooting. The murder remains unsolved.

Jam Master Jay
One-third of the pioneering rap trio Run DMC, Jam Master Jay was shot to death in a Queens recording studio in October 2002, after a man reportedly appeared in the studio embraced Jay then opened fire. A year later jailed drug lord Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff was investigated for his possible involvement in the murder, with the motive being Jay’s allegiance to McGriff nemesis 50 Cent. Four years later prosecutors named Ronald Washington as a possible accomplice in the shooting, claiming he was present at the crime and ordered another man to execute the famed DJ. They also named Washington as a suspect in the murder of Randy “Stretch” Walker.

Magnolia Shorty
Cash Money femcee, Magnolia Shorty, born Renetta Lowe, was killed in a double homicide after being shot while sitting in a car with a male occupant in December 2010. Her husband Carl Bridgewater was killed one year following her murder. Both killings remain unsolved.

Big L

Harlem upstart rapper, Big L was mercilessly murdered on February 15, 1999 near his Uptown stomping ground when he was shot nine times in the face and chest. Rumored motives for the killing vary from gang ties to mistaken identity. The most sustainable story indicates that L’s murder was a retaliation killing for a murder that was ordered by the rapper’s older brother. Gerald Woodley was later brought forth as a possible shooter but he was later released for lack of evidence. The murder remains unsolved.

Israel Ramirez

In February 2006, Busta Rhymes’ bodyguard Israel Ramirez was slain during an early morning video shoot. Authorities believe violence started when Tony Yayo and a rival record producer got into an argument that spilled outside of the filming area. Gun fire erupted and Ramirez, who was on hand to handle Busta’s jewelry, was struck in the hail of bullets. Though there were reportedly many witnesses, including Busta himself, no one came forth to name a shooter. The murder of Israel Ramirez remains unsolved.