Rapper Huey was killed in a double shooting in his hometown of St. Louis, according to reports. He was 32 years old.
The “Pop, Lock & Drop It” star – real name Lawrence Franks Jr. – was shot at least once around 11 p.m. Thursday while in a front yard, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Huey, who had a teenage daughter, was pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital, police told the newspaper, without officially confirming his identity.
A second victim went to a local compound and was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police told the newspaper. It was not immediately clear how he was connected to Huey.
While officials did not confirm his identity, the local hip-hop community lit up social media with tributes to one of the city’s most popular recent rappers.
“They killed my cousin Lil,” tweeted former state representative Bruce Franks Jr., a local activist fighting armed violence known as “St. Louis Superman.
The last time we performed together! Everyone knew him as Huey, for his loved ones he was LJ! My little cousin! Be calm!”
St. Louis-based producer and songwriter Jaylien Wesley said he “lost some” on the news.
“My father Huey is gone forever,” he wrote, saying, “Ima will help keep your spirit alive down here. Much, much love forever.”
DJ Boogie Corleone said the news “hit hard” in a tribute to Instagram. “Rest, my friend,” he wrote.
The rapper, also known as Baby Huey, previously told the Post-Dispatch about his “really tough” education, the newspaper said.
“My mom and dad were drugged. My brother was in and out of jail. Adoptive people were chasing me. It was crazy, ”he said in a 2007 interview.
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