September 20th, 2016, Atlanta Georgia rapper Carlos Rico Walker, known globally as Shawty Lo,
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went to have a good night out at a strip club he normally frequents named the Blue Flame Lounge.
Shawty Lo, seen as an icon in the city, always received love from patrons in the past once he’s present https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lfVsLgJczgY
This time was no different. His childhood friend recalls that night, his outing was to a party hosted by another Atlanta rapper, Yung Joc https://youtu.be/xyqrQJ3XN3s (1:12-1:20)
While there, Shawty Lo was oblivious to what lie ahead for him just hours later. He was living the final moments of his life without even knowing it https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sl0IvQYX514 Video clips uploaded to his social media, showed the rapper enjoying the festivities at the club soaking up the love and energy around him https://youtu.be/xRFLkmwIT5c (1:47-2:00)
The night was slowly winding down. The party was a highlight to experience. The time ticked away, 10pm, 11pm, 12pm, 1am September 21st 2016…Shawty Lo is preparing to leave. Maybe something felt off at the moment in his head, or maybe it was a regular goodbye gesture to his friends. Around 1:30am, he would give his friend and fellow artist, Frontstreet a hug and told him he loved him before leaving https://youtu.be/jJfoM5-x_fo (1:53-2:04)
The unimaginable was about to happen just 30 minutes later. Shawty Lo would get into his vehicle, a 2016 Audi with two other female occupants, Deshondria and Destinias, and left the Blue Flame lounge. Around 2:10 am Shawty Lo was on Interstate 285. The car was accelerating as a speed that prompted the female occupants to request Shawty Lo to drive at a more moderate pace. In fact, reports state that moments before the fatal accident, they pleaded with Shawty Lo to slow down, but the rapper refused
2:20 am Shawty Lo exited on the Cascade Road ramp and that’s when tragedy struck. Shawty Lo somehow went behind the guardrail, onto the grass and then down the embankment, losing control of the vehicle.
https://www.ajc.com/news/local/atlanta-rapper-shawty-cause-death-released/lTVnGVYVqXtviGi2vAAwYI/
This sent them into a fishtail, as described by the two female occupants. After which the car struck a tree, overturned, and caught a blaze https://youtu.be/42VIN6Rrkbg (0:44-1:04)
Shawty Lo would be ejected from the vehicle before the car came to a halt, sending him flying, ending his life at the scene. The female occupants, in a stroke of luck or some may say miracle, was able to escape from the burning vehicle https://youtu.be/yfuEsruh65c (0:50-1:08) Police officers would arrive on the scene to find the lifeless body of Shawy Lo along with the two female occupants.
Around the crime scene was burnt money as Shawty Lo had a considerable amount of cash on him at the time of the accident. The female occupants involved in the accident were allowed to recover a quantity of the funds still on Shawty Lo
After which they were transported to the Grady Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/atlanta-rapper-shawty-lo-killed-fiery-car-crash-n652126
Was it as simple as Shawty Lo losing control of the vehicle while driving too fast? Or was there some other factor at play? The medical examiner at the scene of the crime may have uncovered evidence that suggests the latter.
According to reports, at the scene they found a pill bottle, labeled “Promethazine” with the rapper’s name printed on the label with Hydrocodone and Oxycodone pills inside. Medically, Promethazine is commonly used to treat allergy, while Hydrocodone and Oxycodone are painkillers, but in the world of hip-hop they are often the source of addiction for many rappers inducing the pills to get through the trauma and loss of the lifestyle they lived, or for the purpose of enjoying themselves at concerts, parties, and things of the like. The concoction where these ingredients are key is known by many names like lean, wuk, purple drank, and sizzurp among others
The drink has taken over the lives of many mainstream artists and even taken the lives of some too addicted to its taste and effects https://youtu.be/wKazUz5zlJQ (8:15-9:00)
Some speculate that Shawty Lo’s night out with these drugs might have impaired his sense of thinking. Mixed with the speed the vehicle was going in, losing control becomes much more feasible. Sadly, if that were the case, it was a mistake he didn’t get the chance to learn from. The medical examiner would release officially his cause of death was due to blunt force trauma to the head
But also stated alcohol may be another factor that might have led to the unfortunate accident that claimed Shawty Lo’s life
https://www.ajc.com/news/local/atlanta-rapper-shawty-cause-death-released/lTVnGVYVqXtviGi2vAAwYI/
Shawty Lo’s body and his mangled vehicle was removed from the scene that would soon become known to the world
Initially, the news broke online informing the public about the rapper’s untimely passing. Many media sites and journalists reported the accident was due to a hit and run, as information was still scarce
https://time.com/4502626/shawty-lo-rapper-atlanta-death/
But soon, after the correct information was gathered and released, the news sent a shockwave of mourning through the music industry and the city of Atlanta https://youtu.be/_QOwEJVBOQY (0:00-0:03) https://youtu.be/42VIN6Rrkbg (0:00-0:08) https://youtu.be/yfuEsruh65c (0:00-0:10)
The internet became flooded with condolences and heartbreak over the tragedy
But the ones that were left to go through it the most, were his children. Shawty Lo had a large family, and held them dear to his heart. 11 children across 10 women, Shawty Lo had a lot of lives to provide for, but he always ensured he was a father that was present and in his children’s’ lives https://youtu.be/zAiX-7PQPQ4 (1:47-2:02)
Shawty Lo had a life outside of being a rapper than many never saw. The time he spent with his children meant a lot to him, and in those moments, he wasn’t Shawty Lo, he was Carlos Walker making sure to take care of his kids and having fun together as their dad
His daughters recall moments about their dad, and it’s clear Shawty Lo made sure to stare them down a path that he wasn’t able to walk due to his struggles and environment https://youtu.be/_QOwEJVBOQY (3:04-3:20) Shawty Lo always instilled in them to gain an education and never give up on their dreams, and left them with memories they can always cherish https://youtu.be/42VIN6Rrkbg (1:41-2:05)
Shawty Lo never made his kids feel like they were alone https://youtu.be/_QOwEJVBOQY (2:05-2:11) And even with his hectic famous lifestyle, he did his best to be at milestones like their graduation to support and cheer them on https://youtu.be/_QOwEJVBOQY (2:12-2:20)
What’s even more heartbreaking about the tragedy, was that just a few days before he passed, Shawty Lo and his family had to bear the weight of losing his father. Their last photo together was one at the funeral https://youtu.be/_QOwEJVBOQY (2:21-2:45)
His friend, Shawn Robinson, recalls the series of loses. She was like family, so she too had to endure the hurt of the family loss back to back. It was just days prior she recalls sending him a message for his father’s funeral, now her, like many others like his son, are left with a hole in their heart https://youtu.be/xyqrQJ3XN3s (1:20-1:36) https://youtu.be/TP3pW2v7gL8 (2:07-2:20)
Shawty Lo accomplished a lot with his time as a rapper. Coming from a background of a broken home, he had it rough in his childhood. His mother was a drug user and his father was absent, so his grandmother took up the strain of raising him, but when she passed away, Shawty Lo and his sister was left in the streets and he had to resort to criminal activities to survive https://youtu.be/J3adCohekcQ (0:15-0:49) Shawty Lo would have to make a decision, change for the better or lose his freedom. Luckily, he turned his life around for his family and focused his attention on music, proving to all that said he couldn’t make it that they were wrong https://youtu.be/J3adCohekcQ (0:50-1:01) https://youtu.be/RxDiMjz-uSQ (1:24-1:55)
Shawty Lo’s funeral would be held on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, and not only did the city show out for their icon, before he was buried, Shawty Lo’s body was taken to the club he frequented that last saw him alive and well, the Blue Flame Lounge https://youtu.be/EO5N7TtUO5g (0:00-0:20)
Shawty Lo leaves behind a legacy that will forever leave his name engraved in hip-hop’s history books. Rising to the top in his solo career with his breakout single “They Know” https://youtu.be/g_aMmSWd9M8 he was also one of the founding members of the iconic group D4L aka Down 4 Life, that had the viral single “Laffy Taffy” https://youtu.be/3NXBgSCSrIk
https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/shawty-lo-1046966/
It was no surprise he won the MySpace Music Rookie of the Year at the BET Hip-Hop Awards
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/atlanta-rapper-shawty-lo-killed-fiery-car-crash-n652126
Rest in Peace Shawty Lo https://youtu.be/jJfoM5-x_fo (0:58-1:03) https://youtu.be/RxDiMjz-uSQ (3:49-4:15) https://www.youtube.com/live/yx0BU08KL1E?feature=share (1:06:48-1:08:55) https://youtu.be/zAiX-7PQPQ4 (2:53-3:30)
Chad is a professional journalist specializing in Hip-Hop culture and writing music reviews.
