Rapper made his imprint on the fabric of contemporary hip-hop with his distinctive voice and inventive lyrics.
Rich Homie Quan, 33, passed away on Thursday. He was a member of Rich Gang and a solo artist who made Atlanta rap successes in the 2010s. His death was confirmed to Rolling Stone by the Fulton County Medical Examiner and a family member, however the cause of death was not immediately known.
Rich Homie Quan, real name Dequantes Lamar, first achieved popularity in his hometown of Atlanta in 2008 with the song "Stay Down," which featured the Stack Money Boyz. However, he made his mainstream debut in 2013 with the infectious singles "Type of Way" and YG's "My Nigga." Lamar was upfront in interviews about the robbing and hustles he had to perform; in 2011, when he was 21 years old, he spent 15 months behind bars in DeKalb County Jail. He revealed to XXL that in addition to writing music, he found solace in the works of Sandra Brown and James Patterson.
Following his release, Kendrick Lamar worked hard to create a number of mixtapes about "Going In," starting with I Go in on Every Song in 2012 and going on to Make It Right, I Promise I Will Never Stop Going In, If You Ever Think I Will Stop Goin' In, Ask RR (his son), and ABTA: Still Going In. "Type of Way" went gold upon its 2013 release and featured remixes by Meek Mill and trap superstar Jeezy. The songs "Walk Thru" featuring Compton rapper Problem and "Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)" in 2015 came after "Type of Way." (The latter gained notoriety due to a dance that went viral.)
Lamar rose to prominence on songs like "Lifestyle" alongside Young Thug, with whom he had recorded the majority of the 2014 mixtape Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1, when Birdman was in charge of the supergroup Rich Gang. Lamar has also worked with Gucci Mane, Trinidad James, 2 Chainz, Migos, T.I., Lil Uzi Vert, and other artists during his career. Rich as in Spirit, his debut studio album, was released in 2018.
According to the Atlanta venue Masquerade, Lamar was the oldest of three siblings. Growing up, he was close to his parents and had a fondness for baseball, poetry, and Boy Meets World. In an interview released the day before his passing, Lamar showed affection for the young reporter who confided in him, saying she had grown up watching him. He laughed, "You make me feel old." "I get that a lot," he continued, embracing her and expressing his gratitude.
He grinned and replied, "We got a plethora of
music," in response to her question regarding his future intentions. All I
want is for people to enjoy the music. These days, after you play a music for
two days, it gets old. I'm enthusiastic about what I do when I'm in the studio,
so I don't want to leave songs unheard. I want to dot my I's and cross my Ts
when it comes to marketing. Though he was hesitant to specify a release date,
he was positive he would drop before October 4, his birthday.
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