Missouri rapper Huey, best known for his 2006 single “Pop, Lock & Drop It,” was shot and killed Thursday, June 25 in his hometown of Kinloch, Missouri, at 32 years old.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that he was shot with another man in front of a house located on the 8100 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard, and there were as many as 10 people present. Police are now asking witnesses to come forward and reveal what they know. A possible motive has yet to be established, and police haven’t said whether they have any suspects.
The late rapper was taken to a hospital by someone in a vehicle after being shot. He arrived with at least one gunshot wound and passed away shortly after arriving to the hospital.
The second gunshot victim is an unnamed 21-year-old man. He went to the Ferguson Police Department and was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Huey was born Lawrence Franks Jr. and released his debut album “Notebook Paper” in 2007 on Jive Records.
It’s lead single “Pop, Lock & Drop It” spent 23 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts, peaking at No. 6. Huey was able to join Nelly and Chingy as one of the few rappers to break out of the St. Louis-area rap scene. Huey released his sophomore LP “Redemption” in 2010.
Three years later, he signed a record deal with Waka Flocka’s Brick Squad Monopoly, releasing his mixtape “Project H” in 2014. Huey put out his latest single “Pulled Away” this April.
In a 2013 interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the late artist spoke of the mixed feelings he had about ‘Pop, Lock & Drop It’ since it put him on the map, but he felt it also stunted his career.
“I was never that guy, that ‘Pop, Lock & Drop It’ guy,’ ” Huey explained. “That was just a record that worked. I never thought it would be the record for me, but it was. And with that happening, it got in the way of what I wanted to be looked at as.”
Huey is survived by his 13-year-old daughter Lawryn. He reportedly was set to film a new video this weekend.
