: The Notorious B.I.G.'s Publishing Rights Selling for 0 Million

December 17, 2024 - 656 views

The Notorious B.I.G.'s publishing and publicity rights are reportedly close to being sold for the asking price of $100 million to $150 million.

Biggie's Publishing Rights Command Huge Payday

On Friday (Feb. 28), The Hollywood Reporter named music publishing company Primary Wave as the prospective buyer. The rapper's brief catalog is up for $100 million, as are his master rights, which are commanding an additional $30 million to $50 million. According to sources, the deal will encompass 50 percent of both the late rapper's publishing and master rights, with the addition of publicity rights, which include image, voice and other identifiable characteristics like standout song lyrics. The deal will reportedly close in the next few weeks.

Primary Wave's roster of late entertainer catalogs includes Bob Marley, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross and others.

XXL has reached out to Primary Wave and Biggie's estate for comment.

Sale Follows Death of Voletta Wallace

The pending sale comes just a week after Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace, died at the age of 78. Biggie's mom passed away on Feb. 21 in Stroudsburg, Pa. Monroe County Coroner, Thomas Yanac, confirmed to XXL that Wallace had been in hospice care leading up to her death. She died of natural causes.

Previous to her death, Ms. Wallace ran the Brooklyn, N.Y. rapper's estate following his murder in 1997. In 2011, she signed a licensing deal with Brand Sense Partners to manage licensing and merchandising for the Brooklyn native’s name and likeness. Through her business moves, she helped raise Biggie's estate's estimated worth from $10 million to $160 million, according to TMZ.

Biggie's estate is currently being represented by Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow of ByStorm Entertainment.

See the Current Status of Every Murdered Rapper's Case

XXL takes a look at the current status of the cases of hip-hop murders that have occurred over the past 35 years.

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Scott La Rock

Gov't Name: Scott Monroe Sterling

Age: 25

Birthdate: March 2, 1962

Repped: South Bronx

Affiliates: KRS-One, Boogie Down Productions

Notable Releases: Criminal Minded (1987), “South Bronx,” “The Bridge Is Over”

Date of Murder: Aug. 27, 1987

Status of Case: Unsolved

Scott La Rock was fatally gunned down in 1987. According to reports, a 25-year-old Scott La Rock was shot in the neck and head as he attempted to break up an argument near the Bronx's Highbridge Home Projects. In 1988, two suspects were charged in connection with the crime, but were later acquitted. One of the founding members of the legendary hip-hop collective Boogie Down Productions, the DJ and record producer co-wrote the group’s popular hits “South Bronx” and “The Bridge Is Over” alongside KRS-One. Scott La Rock’s death helped to inspire KRS-One to form the Stop the Violence Movement, which spawned the single, “Self Destruction.”

Wrecks-N-Effect

B-Doggs

Gov’t Name: Brandon Mitchell

Age: 20

Birthdate: Approx. 1970

Repped: Harlem

Affiliates: Wreckx-n-Effect, Teddy Riley, Redhead Kingpin

Notable Releases: Group Albums: Wreckx-n-Effect's Wrecks-n-Effect (1989); Singles: “Let’s Do It Again,” “Go For What U Know,” “New Jack Swing,” “Juicy”

Date of Murder: Aug. 8, 1990

Status of Case: Unsolved

B-Doggs was part of Wreckx-n-Effect, a New York new jack swing group founded in 1987. Other original members included K.C., Aqil "A-Plus" Davidson, B-Doggs and Markell Riley, brother to Teddy Riley (of Guy and later Blackstreet fame), who produced for the group along with Redhead Kingpin. Signed to Motown, Wreckx-n-Effect released their self-titled debut album in 1989 as a trio after K.C. left the group. The LP landed went as high as No. 16 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart with the help of singles “New Jack Swing” and “Juicy.” Not long after the release of the album, B-Doggs was shot and killed during an alleged argument over a woman. Very little is known about the murder besides the fact that it still remains unsolved. —Vanessa Satten

Planting A Seed

D-Boy

Gov’t Name: Daniel Rodriguez

Age: 22

Birthdate: Nov. 10, 1967

Repped: Dallas

Affiliates: Angie Alan, Corey Red

Notable Releases Album: Plantin’ A Seed (1989); Single: “Pick Yourself Up”

Date of Murder Oct. 6, 1990

Status of Case Unsolved

Hailing from Dallas, D-Boy was one of the first Christian rappers. A counselor at Street Church Academy, a ministry run by his parents, D was an influential figure in his neighborhood. The Puerto Rican MC rapped about both gang life, his faith and his belief in God and released his solo debut album Plantin’ A Seed in 1989 via Frontline Records. At around 4 a.m. on Oct. 6, 1990, D was shot in the chest during an alleged carjacking in East Dallas. The young rapper managed to drive a few blocks before he is supposed to have crashed into a curb, flipping the car. His murder remains unsolved and there have never been any suspects in the crime. Since D-Boy’s death, a posthumous album and tribute LP in his honor were released in 1990 and 2006, respectively. —Vanessa Satten

Big Shots

Charizma

Gov't Name: Charles Hicks

Age: 20

Birthdate: July 6, 1973

Repped: Milpitas, Calif.

Affiliates: Peanut Butter Wolf

Notable Releases: Group Album: Peanut Butter Wolf & Charizma’s Big Shots (posthumous, 2003); Singles: "My World Premiere" and "Red Light, Green Light"

Date of Murder: Dec. 16, 1993

Status of Case: Solved

Three years before Peanut Butter Wolf would go on to start Stones Throw Records, he performed in a hip-hop duo alongside Cali MC Charizma. The two had a record deal with Hollywood Basic and a growing buzz, but Charizma was shot and killed in broad daylight in an apparent robbery gone wrong in December of 1993. While sitting in his car at a stop light in front of a church in East Palo Alto—reportedly on the way to pick up lunch for his mother—a man approached the young MC, who resisted; the man then shot the rapper, resulting in his death. The man who killed him was arrested the same day, identified by a preacher watering the lawn outside the church, and convicted after a lengthy trial. He is currently serving a life sentence in San Quentin prison in California. —Dan Rys

Pimpin Out

Pimp Daddy

Gov't Name: Edgar Givens

Age: 18

Birthdate: 1976

Repped: New Orleans

Affiliates: Birdman, Ms. Tee, Cheeky Blakk, Mannie Fresh

Notable Releases: Albums: Still Pimpin' (1994) and Pimpin' Ain't E-Z (posthumous, 1996); Single: "Got 2 Be Real"

Date of Murder: April 18, 1994

Status of Case: Unsolved

One of Cash Money’s first signings, Edgar Givens typified the New Orleans bounce sound that had a stranglehold over the city in the early to mid 1990s, even influencing Birdman’s rapping style when the Cash Money chief still went by B-32. But shortly after he released his debut album, Still Pimpin’, Pimp was shot in the face and killed in New Orleans' Florida Projects on April 18, 1994, apparently after an argument with his girlfriend's brother or cousin, depending on reports. He was 18 years old. He had apparently been dating Cash Money's Ms. Tee, another bounce artist on the label, though a separate N.O. bounce MC named Cheeky Blakk claimed to be the mother of his child, leading to speculation that there was another angle or motive to the murder. —Dan Rys

YouTube

Stretch

Gov't Name: Randy Walker

Age: 27

Birthdate: Aug. 21, 1968

Repped: Queens

Affiliates: 2pac, Live Squad

Notable Releases: Singles: Live Squad’s “Murderahh!/Heartless”; Guest Appearances: 2pac’s “Crooked Ass Nigga”; Productions: 2pac’s “Holler If Ya Hear Me”

Date of Murder: Nov. 30, 1995

Status of Case: Unsolved

A founding member of Queens trio Live Squad and frequent 2pac collaborator, Stretch was best known as a producer for 2pac’s 2pacalypse Now and Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. and for being present with ’Pac during the Quad Studios shooting in 1994, after which the two had a falling out. But almost exactly one year later, Stretch was driving through Queens after dropping off his brother when three men in a black car began chasing his own vehicle. Just after 12:30 a.m., four bullets tore through him and he crashed and flipped his minivan in the Queens Village neighborhood. No one was ever arrested for Stretch’s murder, though the timing—a year to the day since the Quad incident—was peculiar to police. In 2007, police named a suspect in Jam Master Jay’s 2002 murder, Ronald "Tenad" Washington, and also linked him to Stretch’s murder. Washington was never officially charged in Stretch’s killing. —Dan Rys

YouTube

Mr. Cee

Gov't Name: Kyle Church III

Age: 22

Birthdate: 1973

Repped: San Francisco

Affiliates: Black C, RBL Posse

Notable Releases: Group Albums: RBL Posse's Lesson to Be Learned (1992) and Ruthless by Law (1994); Singles: “Don't Give Me No Bammer,” “Bounce to This”

Date of Murder: Jan. 1, 1996

Status of Case: Unsolved

After releasing Lesson to Be Learned and Ruthless by Law, RBL Posse signed a major label deal with Atlantic Records subsidiary Big Beat in 1995. However, a few months later on Jan. 1, 1996, Mr. Cee of RBL was shot nine times on Harbor Road, less than a mile from his family home. Witnesses say Cee, real name Kyle Church, was hanging out New Year’s morning with a number of friends in Hunters Point when a lone gunman came and shot at the crowd where Church was standing. The incident reportedly stemmed from a beef the gunman had with one of the people in Church's crew. An assailant wearing a hooded sweatshirt and carrying a black 9mm semi-automatic ran up to Church and began firing. When Church fell to the ground, the gunman reportedly kept shooting, suggesting an assassination, before fleeing. The murder set off a series of retaliatory killings in Hunters Point, which later included his group mate Hitman, who was shot in the head in 2003. —Emmanuel C.M.

Dark Roads

Seagram

Gov’t Name: Seagram Miller

Age: 27

Birthdate: April 13, 1969

Repped: Oakland

Affiliates: Geto Boys

Notable Releases: Albums: The Dark Roads (1992), Reality Check (1994) and Souls on Ice (posthumous, 1997)

Date of Murder: July 31, 1996

Status of Case: Unsolved

Bay area rapper Seagram, who repped the 69 Ville housing projects in East Oakland, Calif., was the first West Coast artist to signed to Houston’s famed Rap-A-Lot Records. During the course of his career, Seagram dropped two solo albums before he was killed. On the night of July 31, 1996, Seagram and fellow rapper Gangsta P were both shot by an unidentified gunman while they were getting out of a van in East Oakland. P survived his wounds but Seagram died an hour after the shooting at Highland Hospital, having suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Police say Seagram released a song dissing a rival gang in 1993, which upset a local drug kingpin who then made an attempt on the rapper’s life. Seagram was unharmed at the time. Authorities have never officially connected the two shootings. —Vanessa Satten

YouTube

Tupac Shakur

Gov't Name: Tupac Amaru Shakur

Age: 25

Birthdate: June 16, 1971

Repped: Los Angeles

Affiliates: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Suge Knight, The Outlawz

Notable Releases: Albums: Me Against the World (1995), All Eyez on Me (1996), The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (posthumous, 1997); Singles: “Dear Mama,” “Hit 'Em Up,” “California Love,” “Me Against the World,” “Hail Mary,” “Keep Ya Head Up”

Date of Murder: Sept. 13, 1996

Status of Case: Suspect arrested, awaiting trial.

The murder of Tupac Shakur is one of the most notorious unsolved killings in hip-hop history. The icon was shot in Las Vegas at the age of 25 on Sept. 7, 1996, dying six days later at University Medical Center due to complications from his bullet wounds. On the night 'Pac was shot, Suge Knight was driving a black 1996 BMW with 'Pac riding in the passenger seat. A white Cadillac then pulled up on the passenger side, firing off 14 rounds. Tupac was struck four times; twice in the chest, once in the arm and once in the thigh. Knight was hit with bullet fragments, but was able to drive the car about a mile away before being pulled over by bike patrol on Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue. Paramedics were radioed and the two were taken to University Medical Center. There, Tupac underwent two surgeries and had his right lung removed.

A possible suspect by the name of Orlando Anderson had been identified by the LAPD though never arrested after reportedly being involved in a fight with Knight and Shakur earlier in the evening of his murder—'Pac's mother had filed a wrongful death suit against him—but Anderson himself was killed in 1998.

In 2023, Duane "Keefe D" Davis was arrested and charged with the murder of Tupac. Police believe the 60-year-old reputed gang member orchestrated the killing by obtaining the gun that was used in the murder. Keefe D has previously admitted to being at the scene of the crime and having knowledge of who killed the iconic rapper. However, it took authorities nearly 30 years to build a solid case. Keefe D has pleaded not guilty and is set to stand trial in November of 2024.

Son Rize Vol. 1

Yaki Kadafi

Gov't Name: Yafeu Akiyele Fula

Age: 19

Birthdate: Oct. 9, 1977

Repped: New Jersey

Affiliates: 2Pac, The Outlawz

Notable Releases: Album: Still I Rize Vol. 1 (posthumous, 2004); Guest Appearances: 2pac's “Hail Mary,” “All Bout U,” “Outlaw,” “When We Ride”

Date of Murder: Nov. 10, 1996

Status of Case: Unsolved

A member of Tupac’s Outlawz crew, Yaki Kadafi died just two months after Tupac in November of 1996. He had been visiting a girlfriend in Orange, New Jersey when he was found dead around 3:45 a.m. in the third floor hallway of an apartment building, having been shot once in the head. Kadafi had been riding in the car behind Tupac and Suge Knight the night 'Pac was shot in Las Vegas and had given a short statement to police indicating he might have been able to identify the shooter that night, though police believed the killings were unrelated. Days later, two teenagers aged 16 and 17—because they were minors, the police would not release their names—were arrested and charged with the murder. According to at least one report, however, the teenagers pleaded to lesser charges and never stood trial for Kadafi's murder. —Miranda J.

The Bloody City

Kilo G

Gov't Name: Robert L. Johnson, Jr.

Age: 20

Birthdate: 1977

Repped: New Orleans

Affiliates: Birdman, UNLV, Lil Slim, Mannie Fresh

Notable Releases: Albums: The Sleepwalker (1992) and The Bloody City (1995); Single: "Coasting"

Date of Murder: January 15, 1997

Status of Case: Unclear

Cash Money's first-ever artist, Kilo-G, released his debut album The Sleepwalker at the age of just 15, selling the LP out of the trunk of Birdman and Slim’s car and gaining early recognition for his preference for Geto Boys-style horrorcore rap rather than the more danceable New Orleans bounce sound of his peers. But just a few years later, after a Mannie Fresh-produced followup album The Bloody City, the MC born Robert L. Johnson, Jr. was shot and killed in his home in New Orleans' 7th Ward on January 15, 1997 at the age of 20, leaving behind a son. There's almost no further information about his murder available. —Dan Rys

Raymond Boyd, Getty Images

The Notorious B.I.G.

Gov't Name: Christopher Wallace

Age: 24

Birthdate: May 21, 1972

Repped: Brooklyn

Affiliates: Diddy, Lil Kim, Lil Cease, Jay Z

Notable Releases: Albums: Ready to Die (1994), Life After Death (posthumous, 1997); Singles: “Juicy,” “Hypnotize,” “Mo Money Mo Problems,” “One More Chance,” “Sky’s the Limit”

Date of Murder: March 9, 1997

Status of Case: Unsolved

Six months after the hip-hop world suffered the loss of Tupac, another one of the biggest unsolved murders in genre’s history shocked everyone again. At the, The Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down in Los Angeles while leaving an industry party at the Peterson Automotive Museum following the 1997 Soul Train Music Awards. Shots rang out around 12:30 a.m. when police believe an unidentified dark vehicle pulled up alongside the passenger side of Big’s car, where the rapper was riding, and fired several shots at the car while at the intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. At the time there were more than 1,000 people exiting the party, but police claimed to have few eyewitnesses and even fewer leads.

Biggie was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. The rapper’s vehicle was riddled with at least five bullet holes; Big was hit four times, with the fatal shot entering his right hip and tearing through his heart and lungs. Detectives believe witnesses didn’t come forward out of "intimidation" due to the "reputations" of some of the people involved. Biggie’s sophomore album, ironically titled Life After Death, was still released on the preconceived date on March 25, 1997, just over two weeks after his death.

Rumors have circulated to this day about who may be responsible for the rapper's death. The case officially remains unsolved. —Miranda J.

Uptown 4 Life

Yella Boi

Gov't Name: Albert Thomas

Age: 22

Birthdate: 1974/1975

Repped: New Orleans

Affiliates: UNLV (with Tec-9 and Lil Ya), Birdman, B.G., Mannie Fresh

Notable Releases: Group Albums: UNLV's 6th And Baronne (1993), Straight Out Tha Gutta (1994), Mac Melph Calio (1995) and Uptown 4 Life (1996); Singles: UNLV’s "Drag 'Em in the River," "Eddie Bow" and "UNLV Style"

Date of Murder: April 5, 1997

Status of Case: Unsolved

Few artists summed up Cash Money Records’ early days better than UNLV, the trio of gangsta rappers comprised of Yella Boi, Tec-9 and Lil Ya who made significant breakthroughs in the regional hip-hop scene with successful albums and high-profile beefs, notoriously with Mystikal and Big Boy Records. But on April 5, 1997, months after UNLV had been dropped from Cash Money over a contract dispute, Yella was gunned down in New Orleans in what appeared to be a drug deal gone bad, at the age of 22. He had been parked at the corner of Washington and Dryades when he was shot in the head and killed in his car.

The rumors at the time were that after UNLV had been dropped, Yella confronted and pistol-whipped Birdman and shot up one of his cars, leading Birdman to have him killed in retaliation. Those rumors are still floating around to this day, but Baby's never spoken on them except to say in XXL’s September 2002 issue, "That's some shit I don't know nothin' about." It's rumored that the hook to Birdman’s 2002 song "What Happened to That Boy" referenced the killing: "What happened to that boy?/He was talking shit we put a clap into that boy." Former Hot Boy BG, along with Tec and Lil Ya, cryptically addressed some of the rumors in a 2006 freestyle, with BG rapping, "I'ma speak the truth, I'ma tell no lie/I was on the scene, Yella snuck Baby in the eye" in apparent reference to the pistol-whipping incident.

During a June 2021 interview on VladTV, Lil Ya confirmed the story about the drug deal gone bad and revealed that the case remains unsolved. —Dan Rys

Wreckshop Records

Fat Pat

Gov't Name: Patrick Lamar Hawkins

Age: 27

Birthdate: Dec. 4, 1970

Repped: Houston

Affiliates: DJ Screw, Big Hawk, Lil Keke, Screwed Up Click

Notable Releases: Albums: Ghetto Dreams (posthumous, 1998), Throwed in Da Game (posthumous, 1998); Singles: “Tops Drop”; Guest Appearances: DJ DMD’s “25 Lighters,” Lil Troy’s “Wanna Be a Baller”

Date of Murder: Feb. 3, 1998

Status of Case: Unsolved

One of the original members of DJ Screw’s Screwed Up Click, Fat Pat, Big Hawk’s brother, was a legend in Houston’s hip-hop scene before his untimely death. Pat was at the Meadows Southwest Apartment complex in Houston on Feb. 3, 1998 stopping by a promoter’s apartment to collect money he was owed when he was shot once in the head and died while friends waited in a car outside. According to some reports, the promoter wasn’t home at the time and Pat was killed in the hallway of the building. Other reports say he was killed by the promoter, Kenneth “Weasel” Watson, because Weasel thought Pat had set him up to get robbed. As that story goes, Weasel asked Pat to call Pat’s friend who had just robbed Weasel and while Pat was on the phone Weasel shot shot him in the head. Police put out a warrant for Weasel’s arrest, but no one was ever charged in Pat’s killing; Weasel is currently in prison on drug charges. Eight years later, Big Hawk was also murdered, with some people claiming his killing had something to do with Pat’s death. Fat Pat’s debut album, Ghetto Dreams, was released on Wreckshop Records six weeks after his murder. —Dan Rys

My Testimony

Big Steve a.k.a. Granpappy Mafioso

Gov't Name: Steven Aniekan Eduok

Age: 24

Birthdate: Nov. 6, 1974

Repped: Houston

Affiliates: DJ Screw, Screwed Up Click, Woss Ness

Notable Releases: Album: My Testimony (posthumous, 1999); Group Album: Woss Ness' Da Game Done Changed (1997); Single: "Ghetto Love"; Guest Appearance: Big Pokey’s “Who Dat Talking Down”

Date of Murder: Jan. 11, 1999

Status of Case: Unclear

According to most reports, Big Steve and Big Rue were both in a parking lot outside of a club in Houston after a studio session when they were both gunned down in a hail of bullets on Jan. 11, 1999, with Steve reportedly shot 27 times with an AK-47. Some reports say there was a hit out on Rue and the assailant failed to warn Big Steve, who was caught in the crossfire. Other reports say that Steve and Rue were in a Houston apartment and that Steve was shot 16 times with an AK, though it's hard to know for certain. "Big Steve—up and comin’ ghetto superstar, just got caught up," DJ Screw said in a 1999 interview. "Wrong place, the wrong time. Some people were doin’ bad shit on the streets. Steve just happened to be in the same place when the shit was gonna go down. He got caught up in it. It’s like Steve got it just by bein’ with the dude... Niggas comin’ back, get revenge on this cat. You with him, everybody gotta go. How you gonna just shoot this dude and not shoot this dude? That’s a witness, and you sure don’t wanna be in trouble, so you’ve gotta kill two birds...that’s how that happened. It’s fucked up.” —Dan Rys

The Big Picture

Big L

Gov't Name: Lamont Coleman

Age: 24

Birthdate: May 30, 1974

Repped: Harlem, N.Y.

Affiliates: Cam’ron, Fat Joe, Ma$e, Kool G Rap, Kid Capri

Notable Releases: Albums: Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous (1995), The Big Picture (posthumous, 2000); Singles: “Ebonics,” “M.V.P.” and “Put It On”

Date of Murder: Feb. 15, 1999

Status of Case: Unsolved

Big L became a popular figure in the New York hip-hop underground scene after his 1995 debut album Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous. In 1998, he founded his Flamboyant Entertainment record label and was on his way to becoming a star of his own after Roc-A-Fella Records showed interest in his talents. On Feb. 15, 1999, however, Big L was killed at 45 W. 139th Street in Harlem after being shot nine times in the face and chest in a drive-by shooting. Gerard Woodley, a childhood friend of Big L, was arrested in May of 1999 for the crime. However, Woodley was later released due to lack of evidence and the murder case remains unsolved.

In 2010, Donald Phinazee, Big L's older brother, spoke on his L's passing saying that he was not the one supposed to be targeted, that the killers were looking for their other brother Lee but killed Big L by mistake, who was reportedly wearing his brother’s chain at the time of his death. Lee was killed three years later. —Roger Krastz

YouTube

Freaky Tah

Gov't Name: Raymond Rogers

Age: 27

Birthdate: May 14, 1971

Repped: Queens

Affiliates: Lost Boyz, Mr. Cheeks, DJ Spigg Nice, Pretty Lou

Notable Releases: Group Albums: Lost Boyz' Legal Drug Money (1996), Love, Peace and Nappiness (1997), LB IV Life (posthumous, 1999); Singles: Lost Boyz' “Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz,” “Lifestyles of the Rich & Shameless,” "Music Makes Me High," “Me and My Crazy World”

Date of Murder: March 28, 1999

Status of Case: Solved

On March 28, 1999, Lost Boyz rapper/hype man Freaky Tah was shot in the back of the head and killed outside the Sheraton Hotel in Queens, N.Y. in a case of mistaken identity. Three men were charged with second-degree murder and illegal possession of a weapon for the crime and all plead guilty. Kelvin Jones, 29, of Albany, N.Y., was charged as the gunman, Ryan Fritch, 24, of Queens, drove the escape van in the incident and Rasheem Fletcher, 22, was charged with providing the van. The three individuals were affiliated with a rap group called the Hellraisers, who had previous beef with the Lost Boyz' crew. Freaky Tah’s death was not the first to result from the feud; others in both crews had been killed in the aftermath of a robbery the year before, with subsequent shootings coming as retaliation. According to police, Tah was killed because he was believed to have been a relative of a man who had killed a Hellraisers affiliate months prior. —Roger Krastz

These Streets EP

Bugz

Gov't Name: Karnail Pitts

Age: 21

Birthdate: Jan. 5, 1978

Repped: Detroit

Affiliates: D12, Eminem, Bizarre

Notable Releases: EP: These Streets (1999); Album: Mr. Obnoxious (2000, posthumous); Group Album: D12's The Underground EP (1997)

Date of Murder: May 21, 1999

Status of Case: Solved

Bugz was a founding member of Detroit hip-hop collective D12 alongside Proof, Bizarre, Kuniva, Kon Artis and Eminem and had begun to achieve some local success before the group's big breakout. But on a May afternoon in 1999, he was attending a picnic at Belle Isle Park in Detroit when a fight broke out, purportedly over a water gun. According to D12's Swift, Bugz was getting the better of his adversary in the fight, which upset the man's friend who went to his Ford Explorer and retrieved a rifle. The man shot Bugz twice times in the back and chest, then ran home over when fleeing the scene, leaving the budding MC dead in the park. Police chased the Explorer until it hit a tree, arresting Andre Hamilton for the shooting. Hamilton was convicted of first-degree murder in 2001 and is serving a life sentence for the killing. —Dan Rys

MTV

Q-Don

Gov't Name: Raeneal Quann

Age: 22

Birthdate: 1978

Repped: Philadelphia

Affiliates: Task Force, The Roots, NAAM Brigade

Notable Releases: Mixtapes: NAAM Brigade The Mixtape Vol. 1 and 2

Date of Murder: May 2, 2000

Status of Case: Solved

Shortly after signing to Elektra Records in 2000 with his Chicago group NAAM Brigade, Q-Don was gunned down outside of a Philadelphia nightclub on Tuesday, April 25, 2000. Real name Raeneal Quann, Q-Don—grandson of famed soul singer Solomon Burke—was a bystander during an attempted robbery in the parking lot of The Evolution nightclub. At around 3:20 a.m., police heard shots fired and later found the rapper dead on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head. Upon his death, the label released a statement reading, “Raeneal was a great talent with a bright future ahead of him. Elektra Records is deeply saddened by this tragedy.”

Lawrence Smith, Adalberto Corredor, Marcus Scott and Jermaine Scott were arrested after fleeing the scene and were charged with murder, robbery, conspiracy, possession of a firearm and reckless endangerment in connection with Q-Don’s death. Two months prior to the shooting, there was another fatal shooting outside of the nightclub. Police would not confirm if the two were connected. Smith, Corredor and Marcus Scott were all convicted of murdering Quann; Jermaine Scott was convicted of conspiracy and robbery charges in connection to the incident.—Miranda J.

Non Fiction

Mausberg

Gov't Name: Jonny Burns

Age: 21

Birthdate: 1979

Repped: Compton

Affiliates: DJ Quik, Suga Free

Notable Releases: Albums: The Konnectid Project Vol. 1 with Suga Free (2000), Non Fiction (posthumous, 2000); Guest Appearances: DJ Quik’s “Down, Down, Down,” Snoop Dogg’s “Don't Tell,” DJ Quik's “It's Like Everyday”

Date of Murder: July 4, 2000

Status of Case: Unsolved