Rich Homie Quan, Melodic Atlanta Rapper, Dies at 34
The rapper, who was at one time affiliated with Young Thug, had a 2015 hit with “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh),” which spawned a dance craze.
Rich Homie Quan, an Atlanta rapper who played a role in the city’s thriving hip-hop scene in the 2010s, died on Thursday in Atlanta. He was 34.
His death was confirmed by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, which did not provide a cause.
A melodic rapper who broke out in one of the country’s most fertile rap scenes over a decade ago, Rich Homie Quan has more recently become a character in the sprawling gang conspiracy trial in Georgia centered around Young Thug, the Atlanta superstar.
Quan’s early career was closely tied to that of Young Thug; the two were members of Rich Gang, a group assembled by Bryan Williams (a.k.a. Birdman), one of the founders of the label Cash Money. rich homie quan
Their slow-rolling debut single from 2014, “Lifestyle,” was a Hot 100 hit and has been certified platinum. The pair later fell out over what Quan said were issues around ego and money, and parts of their feud have spilled over into testimony at the trial.
In 2013, Quan broke out solo with “Type of Way,” a song about ambition and romance that the Michigan State football team adopted as an anthem. In The New York Times, the critic Jon Caramanica wrote about the track, proclaiming Quan part of a new generation of rappers “who deliver lines with melody and heart, like singers on the verge of a breakdown.” rich homie quan
Quan’s only full studio album, “Rich as in Spirit,” came out in 2018 on Motown Records; it included one feature, from Rick Ross. He released mixtapes from 2012 to 2017, several of which charted on Billboard’s Top 200, and collaborated with artists including 2 Chainz and YG. “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh),” an earworm of a single from 2015, generated a viral dance craze. The song has since gone triple platinum.
In 2014, Quan’s father, who also acted as his manager, was injured at a shooting at his barbershop in Atlanta. “Where I’m at in life, problems come,” the rapper told XXL at the time. “You just have to be ready for whatever’s presented in front of you.”
The confrontation was brought up last month at the Young Thug trial when Kenneth Copeland (a.k.a. Lil Woody), a witness for the prosecution who was granted immunity, admitted that he had participated in the shooting. Quan’s name came up again this week during further testimony by the same witness. He was on a list of witnesses for the prosecution and was subpoenaed in May to testify but had not yet been called to appear in court.
Dequantes Devontay Lamar was born on Oct. 4, 1989, in Atlanta. The oldest of four siblings, he grew up as an athlete, where he excelled at baseball. Doubtful about his future in sports and viewing college as a “waste of money,” he began stealing televisions and other electronics; he was arrested on a burglary charge and spent 15 months in jail in 2011.
“It was scary,” he told XXL, “but it was real life.” While incarcerated, he read books and wrote raps, planning to pursue hip-hop upon his release.
“When I got out jail I didn’t want to be shy no more,” he told Rolling Stone in 2015. “I knew this was all I had and I wanted to go hard at it, so that’s what I did.”
In the studio, he was inspired by the soul music he had heard at his grandmother’s home as a child, citing the Temptations and the Isley Brothers as early influences. As his career developed, he involved his family members in his business, intent on them reaping some of the benefits of his stardom.
His career took off quickly, but in 2014 he had a seizure during a music video shoot. “It went from one show a week to five shows a week, then I started getting tired,” he told Rolling Stone.
A complete list of survivors was not immediately available.
In a 2013 Billboard interview, the young rapper said he wanted to make his “brand bigger than life.”
“Everything starts somewhere,” Quan said. “I’m pretty sure when Cash Money first started off, they didn’t think it would get as big as it is today. I just want something that can last forever.”
Rich Homie Quan, Atlanta Rap Staple, Dead at 33
Rapper’s unique voice and lyrical ingenuity left his mark on the fabric of modern hip-hop
Rich Homie Quan, who created Atlanta rap hits in the 2010s as a solo artist and member of Rich Gang, died Thursday at the age of 33. The Fulton County Medical Examiner and a family member confirmed his death to Rolling Stone, but a cause of death was not immediately available.
Born Dequantes Lamar, Rich Homie Quan made his mainstream breakthrough in 2013 with the catchy tracks “Type of Way” and YG’s “My Nigga,” though he gained traction in his hometown of Atlanta as early as 2008 with the song “Stay Down” featuring the Stack Money Boyz. In interviews, Lamar was frank about the hustling and robbing he had to do – in 2011, at 21, he was incarcerated at DeKalb County Jail for 15 months. He told XXL that he took comfort in books by James Patterson and Sandra Brown as well as making songs.
Upon his release, Lamar created a series of mixtapes about “Going In” — working hard to great results — beginning with 2012’s I Go in on Every Song and continuing with tapes like Still Goin In: Reloaded, 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. After its 2013 release, “Type of Way” went gold and received remixes from trap hero Jeezy and Meek Mill. “Type of Way” was followed by the hits “Walk Thru” with Compton rapper Problem and “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)” in 2015. (The latter became well-known for a viral dance.) rich homie quan
When Birdman oversaw the supergroup Rich Gang, Lamar became a standout on songs like “Lifestyle” with Young Thug, with whom he’d made the majority of the 2014 mixtape Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1. Across his career, Lamar also collaborated with Gucci Mane, Trinidad James, 2 Chainz, Migos, T.I., Lil Uzi Vert, and more. In 2018, he released his debut studio album, Rich as in Spirit. rich homie quan
Lamar was the eldest of three siblings, Atlanta venue Masquerade writes. He was close to his parents and enjoyed baseball, poetry, and Boy Meets World as a kid. In an interview posted just one day before the news of his death, Lamar was warm towards the young reporter who told him she grew up watching him. “You make me feel old,” he joked. “I get that a lot,” he added before giving her a hug and thanking her.
When asked about his future plans, he told her, “We got a plethora of music,” smiling. “I just want people to appreciate the music. The times we in, you play a song and that shit old in two days. When I get in the studio, I’m passionate about it, so I don’t want to drop music on deaf ears. I want to have marketing – I want to cross my T’s and dot my I’s.” He was reticent to confirm a release date, but was certain he’d drop before his birthday, October 4.