LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rich Homie Quan, The Rapper from Atlanta who rose to mainstream fame with the trap singles “Type of Way” and “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)”, has died. He was 33.
Quan, whose real name is Dequantes Devontay Lamar, died at an Atlanta hospital, the Fulton County coroner confirmed to the Associated Press. The coroner was notified of his death on Thursday, said Jimmy Sadler, chief medical examiner. The cause of death was not immediately available, and an autopsy is scheduled for Friday.
Quan was one of the the biggest names in hip-hop in the mid-2010s. He released a series of mixtapes before breaking through with the infectious “Type of Way” in 2013. The song became so successful that several other rappers jumped on the remix, including Jeezy and Meek Mill. He kept up the momentum, appearing with Jeezy on a YG track and releasing the London on da Track-produced song “Lifestyle” through his rap collective Rich Gang, which including Young Thug and Birdman.
Quan followed with “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)”, a song produced by DJ Spinz and Nitti Beatz. It became his most successful solo single peaking at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He was also featured on Lil Dicky’s viral “$ave Dat Money.”
In 2018, Quan released his first and only studio album, Rich as in Spirit, which was mostly feature-free, with the exception of “Think About It,” a single with Rick Ross.
Quavo, Lil Boosie and Playboi Carti are some of the musicians who paid tribute to Quan on social media.
“Rest in peace my brother Rich Homie Quan,” said singer Jacquees, who also called him a “legend” on X. “I love you for life.”
Quan spoke to The Associated Press in 2022 about returning to music after an abrupt break. At the time, the rapper said he was in a legal battle with independent label TIG (Think It’s a Game Record) but was ready for a comeback.
During this time, Quan ended up in a feud with his old collaborator Young Thug — who together with rapper Gunna — belonged to a group charged with conspiracy of violating the RICO law of the State of Georgia and also of membership in a criminal street gang.
Quan said there is no feud between him and Young Thug and he is open to speaking with him if the opportunity arises. He said it bothers him to see Young Thug locked up, adding that rappers are targeted by police.
“I wouldn’t say they were unfairly attacked, because at the same time, some of these rappers are showing guns in their videos, and it’s like social media – it goes back to the social media thing,” he said.
“I think we show too much, I think they show too much, you know what I mean. That’s the difference in my music, I tell a story but I’m not going to tell you how I did it,” he added. “It’s still black art but we’re definitely being targeted. That’s why I’m careful about what I say in my music.”
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Landrum and Dalton reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Gary Gerard Hamilton contributed to this report from New York. ___
This story has been updated to correct Quan’s age to 33 based on information from the medical examiner.
