15 Rappers Who Were Taken From Us Too Soon

Far too often, we've seen some of our favorite artists taken away from us at a young age. In the rap game, this has occurred far too often. Whether it has been because of drugs, violence, or just unfortunate luck, these hip hop artists were taken from us well before their time was up

1. Ol' Dirty Bastard

ODB was a recognizable character in the Wu-Tang Clan, but a heart attack claimed him at age 35 before he could release his first Roc-A-Fella album. 

2. MC Trouble

As the first female emcee to be signed by Motown Records, MC Trouble had a bright future before succumbing to an epileptic seizure at age 19.

3. Grym Reaper aka Too Poetic

Known for his time as a member of Gravediggaz, Grym Reaper died at age 36 due to colon cancer, living nearly two years longer than his initial 3-month prognosis. 

4. The Notorious B.I.G

Biggie had only released one album before he was gunned down at the age of 24 after leaving a Vibe Magazine party

5. Charizma

Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf were never able to release their first album after Charizma was gunned down at age 20

6. Big Pun

One of the first Latino rappers to gain mainstream success, Big Pun suffered a heart attack at age 29

7. Stretch

At age 27, Stretch was gunned down while driving his minivan, which hit a tree and a car before flipping over

8. Big L

Big L was on the verge of super stardom at age 24 before being gunned down by a drive-by shooter

9. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes

As a member of TLC, Lopes was continuing her breakout into a solo career when a car accident claimed her life at age 30

10. Proof

A member of D-12 and mentor to Eminem, Proof was shot and killed at age 32 outside a club in Detroit

11. Pimp C

Pimp C was found dead in a hotel room at just 33 years of age, suffering from respiratory failure

12. Eazy-E

At the age of 31, Easy-E was diagnosed with AIDS and would succumb to the illness shortly after

13. J Dilla

After a long battle with lupus, Dilla eventually succumbed to the illness at age 32

14. Tupac Shakur

After leaving a Mike Tyson fight, Tupac was shot at in a drive-by shooting, dying at the age of 25 six days later

15. Freaky Tah

Part of the Lost Boyz group, Tah was shot in the head and killed at age 27

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