List Rules Vote up the hip hop artists who made the greatest bodies of work before they died
The Notorious B.I.G. once rapped, "I wonder if I died / Would tears come to her eyes / Forgive me for my disrespect / Forgive me for my lies." Biggie, we forgive you. Several famous rappers and hip-hop stars have unfortunately passed away. This list ranks the best of them. Some of these musicians were shot during an illegal activity, while others died of natural causes. Two famous rappers are suspected to have died in conjunction with the East/West rap rivalry of the 1990s.
Who is the best rapper who is already dead? Tupac Shakur tops our list. Tupac died on September 13, 1996 after being shot in Las Vegas. He was 25 years old. The Notorious B.I.G. died on March 9, 1997 after being murdered in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Though many believe that his death was retaliation for the murder of Tupac, no arrests have been made in correlation with either murder.
Adam Yauch, aka, MCA of the Beastie Boys, died on May 4, 2012 after a three year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old. On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah was killed, along with eight others, when her flight to the Bahamas crashed shortly after takeoff. She was 22 years old.
Are you surprised that so many famous rappers have died? Take a look at this list and share your thoughts in the comments section.
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Tupac ShakurAll Eyez on Me, Me Against the World, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory - Tupac Shakur died on September 13, 1996 after being shot in Las Vegas. He was 25 years old.
The Notorious B.I.G.Ready to Die, Life After Death, Born Again - The Notorious B.I.G. died on March 9, 1997 after being shot in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Many believe that his death was a retaliation for Tupac's death in their ongoing East Coast/West Coast rivalry.
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Eazy-EEazy-Duz-It, It’s On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa, Eternal E - In 1995, NWA rapper Eazy-E was diagnosed with AIDS when he went to the hospital to treat what he thought was asthma. He died from complications from AIDS less than a month later.
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Big LThe Big Picture, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, Children of the Corn: The Collector's Edition
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Big PunCapital Punishment, Yeeeah Baby, Endangered Species - Big Pun died on February 7, 2000 after suffering a fatal heart attack in New York. He struggled with maintaining a healthy weight for much of his life.
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Nate DoggMusic & Me, Welcome To The Dogg House, G-Funk Classics - Nate Dogg died March 15, 2011 due to complications with multiple strokes. He was 41 years old.
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Ol' Dirty BastardReturn to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, The Trials and Tribulations of Russell Jones, Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are) - Ol' Dirty Bastard died on November 13, 2004 from a drug overdose at the age of 35.
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ProofSearching for Jerry Garcia, Grown Man Shit, I Miss the Hip Hop Shop - Proof was shot and killed in Detroit on April 11, 2006. He was 32 years old.
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J DillaDonuts, The Shining, Jay Stay Paid - J Dilla died as the result of a blood disease on February 10, 2006.
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GuruJazzmatazz, Volume 1, Guru's Jazzmatazz - Guru died on April 19, 2010 after falling into a coma after having surgery due to cardiac arrest.
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Mac DreThe Genie of the Lamp, Don't Hate The Player, Hate The Game
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Pimp CThe Naked Soul of Sweet Jones, Pimpalation, The Sweet James Jones Stories
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Lisa LopesSupernova, Eye Legacy, N.I.N.A - Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes was involved in a fatal car accident in Honduras on April 25, 2002. A documentary, entitled The Last Days of Left Eye, was made in commemeration.
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Heavy DVibes, Waterbed Hev, Heavy - Heavy D died on November 8, 2011 after experiencing a a pulmonary embolism. He was 44 years old.
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AaliyahAaliyah, One in a Million, I Care 4 U - On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed when her airplane crashed shortly after takeoff. She was 22 years old.
Soulja SlimThe Streets Made Me, Years Later... A Few Months After, Years Later - Soulja Slim died on November 26, 2003 after being shot four times in New Orleans. He was 26 years old.
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Adam YauchDrum Machine - Adam Yauch, aka, MCA of the Beastie Boys, died on May 4, 2012 after a three year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old.
DJ ScrewFallen Soldiers, 3 'n the Mornin': Part Two, Royalty of Rap
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EyedeaThe Many Faces of Oliver Hart (Or How Eye One the Write Too Think), Afraid to Dream
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Lil Snupe Lil Snupe died after being shot in the chest on June 20, 2013.
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Jason Mizell Jason Mizell, aka, Jam Master Jay, was shot and killed on October 30, 2002. His murder remains unsolved.
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Sean PriceMonkey Barz, Jesus Price Supastar, Hood Anthems
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Chuck DAutobiography of Mistachuck, Rock da Funky Beats / Dance With You, An Interview With Chuck D
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Joe C. Kid Rock associate Joe C. died in his sleep on November 16, 2000. He suffered from coeliac disease which may have caused his dwarfism, which in turn caused a variety of additional medical conditions.
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Meek MillNothing But Flamerz (clean), DreamChasers, Flamers 2: Hottest In Tha City - Got Lyrically Murdered by Drake in 2015
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E DubbleHis Hop Is Good, Two Tone Rebel, & Freestyle Fridays - E Dubble Died Feb 13 2017 at age 34, he had an infection that statred in his hand and eventually spreaded through out his entire body leading up to his death
Freaky Tah Freaky Tah died on March 28, 1999. He was shot in the back of the head.
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Stack Bundles
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Big MoeThe Best of Big Moe, City of Syrup, Purple World - Big Moe died on October 14, 2007 after suffering a heart attack which left him in a week-long coma.
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Lil Home Statetoo shit to have any - got lyrically killed by A Steven, Kid Mil, Mad Joe and Hmoney. he was a very shit rapper
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CamoflaugeStrictly 4 da Streets: Drugs Sex and Violence, Vol. 1, Keepin It Real - On May 19, 2003, Camoflauge died after being gunned down. He was only 21 years old.
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Lil PhatTurn the Beat Up, What's Happenin' - On June 7, 2012, Lil Phat died after being shot multiple times outside of a hospital where his son was about to be born.
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Half a Mill
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Da Doughthey are all shit albums anyway - He was full of shit and had a bad flow. A Steven, Fuck u records and The Wild Boyz killed him with real lyrcilism
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Big Bank Hank The Sugarhill Gang rapper Big Bank Hank died on November 11, 2014 from kidney complications due to cancer.
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DJ RashadDouble Cup, Teklife, Volume 1: Welcome to the Chi - DJ Rashad died on April 26, 2014 of a drug overdose. He was 34 years old.
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Magnolia ShortyMonkey on tha D$ck - Magnolia Shorty died on December 20, 2010 after being shot over 25 times in a drive-by shooting.
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MC TroubleGotta Get a Grip - MC Trouble suffered from epilepsy since birth. On June 4, 1992, she died after experiencing heart failure induced by a seizure.
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Slim Jesus
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Sandman Bcbg
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DollaWho the Fuck Is That? - Dolla was shot to death on May 18, 2009 at the age of 21.
Camu TaoBlair Cosby: Cape Cod - Going for De Gold, Blair Cosby's: Cereal Carpens ('97 Season), Blair Cosby II: The Wali Era - Camu Tao died from lung cancer on May 25, 2008.