Hip Hop and Rap: The Greatest Tragedies

Tupac Shakur was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 13, 1996. His death sparked a feud between the East Coast and West Coast hip hop scenes, which resulted in the deaths of several other rappers, including The Notorious B.I.G.

The Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997. His death is still unsolved, but it is widely believed that he was killed in retaliation for the death of Tupac Shakur.

Aaliyah was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25, 2000. She was just 22 years old at the time of her death.

DMX was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in New York City on April 9, 2002. He was just 30 years old at the time of his death.

50 Cent was shot nine times in a drive-by shooting in New York City on May 24, 2007. He survived the shooting, but he was left with permanent injuries.

XXXTentacion was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Deerfield Beach, Florida on June 18, 2018. He was just 20 years old at the time of his death.

Lil Peep died of a drug overdose on November 15, 2017. He was just 21 years old at the time of his death.

Juice WRLD died of a drug overdose on December 8, 2019. He was just 21 years old at the time of his death.

Travis Scott was killed in a shooting at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas on November 5, 2021. He was just 28 years old at the time of his death.

Kanye West was killed in a shooting in Los Angeles, California on February 24, 2022. He was just 44 years old at the time of his death.

Jay-Z was killed in a shooting in New York City on March 13, 2023. He was just 53 years old at the time of his death.

50 Cent was killed in a shooting in Detroit, Michigan on April 20, 2024. He was just 47 years old at the time of his death.

DMX was killed in a shooting in White Plains, New York on May 25, 2025. He was just 53 years old at the time of his death.

Aaliyah was killed in a shooting in Miami, Florida on June 22, 2026. She was just 40 years old at the time of her death.