It truly hard to say goodbye to yesterday. Since Hip-Hop was birthed in the South Bronx, way countless individuals who repped the culture have passed away. Included in that bunch are rappers who left us entirely too soon and before reaching their true potential.
Whether they died of natural causes or fell victim to unforeseen circumstances, each MC has left their own legacy, whether large or small, in our culture.
But when you reflect on their bodies of works, there are those special ones who left us wondering how they would of developed artistically if they would have stayed with us longer. Who they would have worked with in today’s climate? Would their next album have shaped up to be genre bending collection? A variety of questions like these still come to mind.
With those hypotheticals still an ongoing hot topic, we present 15 rappers who died before reaching their potential. While sadly we had a deep list to choose from, we focused on those who we felt at the time of their passing had yet to truly impact the game in a major way.
Agree? Disagree? Feel in a ways? Let us know in the comments section.
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Photos: Jive Records, Pinterest,
Big Pun
Considering Big Pun had only released two albums while he was still alive, we are left wondering how his then already monstrous lyrical ability would advance well past into the new millennium.
Kid Hood
We only heard Kid Hood once on A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario (Remix).” How he opened up that song was strong enough for it to be classified as a classic verse.
Lil Snupe
Meek Mill brought Lil Snupe to the world. The young New Orleans spitter wowed us with his impeccable freestyle abilities but never got to show his true skills with a formal debut.
Big L
It has been confirmed that Big L was very close to signing with Roc-A-Fella Records shortly before his untimely death. We could only imagine what kind of music would have been produced when you consider you had Jay Z, Just Blaze and Kanye West all in their prime at that time.
Stack Bundles
After working his way around the industry with the likes of Fabolous, Joe Budden and others, Stack Bundles finally found a permanent home in Jim Jones’ Byrdgang crew. Though he laid several verses and collaborations throughout the mixtape scene, the streets felt he never got his real shot.
Soulja Slim
Previously signed to Master P’s No Limit Records, Soulja Slim was on the verge of a come back with his feature on Juvenile’s hit “Slow Motion” before he was gunned down on November 23, 2003.
2Pac
While 2Pac was making classic records during his Death Row Records run, Hip-Hop collectively thinks Pac was just getting started.
Pimp C
Looking at how Hip-Hop continues to show respect to the UGK legacy and seeing how Bun B is flourishing right now can only lead us to wonder what else Pimp C had in store for us.
Mac Dre
Even though Mac Dre had not reached national exposure before his murder, he had a very strong buzz going through his thizz movement on the west coast.
The Notorious B.I.G.
We can only imagine what an older and wiser B.I.G. would sound like amongst a lot of this bubble gum Rap that controls the airwaves today.
Party Arty
Also known P-80, D.I.T.C. affiliate Party Arty was making a lot of noise post his infamous battle with Murda Mook. Sadly he died of health complications on December 4, 2008.
Proof
Proof was celebrated as an underrated lyricist and Detroit’s premier Hip-Hop advocate. While he did release two full length albums, many that personally knew him, including Eminem, profess that Proof had yet to show the world his full MC potential.
Subroc
One third of seminal group KMD, Subroc passed away in the 1990’s in a fatal car accident. His brother and fellow KMD member Zev Love X would go on later to become DOOM PKA MF DOOM. Many of what people believe to be DOOM’s productions are actually those of the late Subroc including instrumentals like “Peach Extract,” “Hands Of Doom,” “Rainblood” (Pt.1 & 2) and “Hoe Cakes.”
Magnolia Shorty
Magnolia Shorty was one of the first females signed to Cash Money Records. Her debut Money On The D–k is considered a classic in the bounce music genre. Nicknamed the “Queen Of Bounce,” she was working on new music with Lil Wayne and other noted artists around the time leading up to her death in 2010.
Charizma
Before DJ Peanut Butter Wolf became a household name through his Stones Throw Records label, he often collaborated with his partner Charizma who was unfortunately murdered in 1993. The duo made several records now considered classics by Hip-Hop purists.
