Hip hop has the highest mortality rate of any music genre. As the Notorious biopic demonstrated, rappers are always getting shot up, murked, wetted and otherwise deaded. It’s pretty much an occupational hazard. Still, it’s not all hand cannons and multiple homicides – sometimes, rappers die or really mundane stuff. You know, like being a fat fuck, or cancer, or having a piano fall on their head.
Okay, the piano thing never happened, but lots of prominent rappers have died without getting shot. Eazy E, as we should all be aware, died of AIDS. ODB went out high as a kite. Big Pun weighted A LOT and the official coroner’s report lists cause of death as 'fat fuck'. True story. Meanwhile, J Dilla had some weird disease (Lupus), Too Poetic (from Gravediggaz) had the cancer and whole bunch of others went out in equally unambitious style.
The moral of this story? Rappers life insurance premiums are crazy expensive. Oh, and dying sucks – so stick to your indie pop / alt-country / electronic crossover schtick.