Famous Atlanta music artist Dequantes Devontay Lamar, better known by his stage name Rich Homie Quan, passed away on Thursday, Sep. 5, at 33 years old.
The rapper was found unresponsive in his Fulton County home at around 11 a.m. by his girlfriend, Amber Williams. In the 911 call released by TMZ, Williams said she returned home after picking up their son from school to find Quan lying on the couch, not breathing. He was then taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Despite multiple reports of drug overdose, the cause of death remains uncertain while an investigation is ongoing. An autopsy was taken on the Friday after the incident, which could take several weeks to show results.
Quan burst onto the national hip-hop scene in 2013 with his song “Type of Way.” That was followed by the hit song “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)” in 2015, which became his highest charting solo single at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This track was nominated for iHeartRadio Music Awards’ Hip-Hop Song of the Year in 2016. Other projects he put on the chart include “Walk Thru” and “My Hitta”. He was also nominated for various BET Hip Hop awards, including Best New Artist.
There was a strong relationship between Quan’s music and positivity, making it popular amongst college campuses. Chase Arnow, a University of North Georgia sophomore and fan took time to reminisce.
“He inspired me to strive to be the best I could be every day. My favorite song of his is Lifestyle because it preaches hard work and determination.” – Chase Arnow, UNG sophomore business major
Fellow music artists such as Quavo, 2 Chainz, Lil Boosie, and Playboi Carti took to social media to pay tribute to his memory. “May god be with us, never saw this being part of the journey,” Quavo captioned a post picturing the two together.
Quan’s father and manager, Corey Lamar, called into Young Joc’s morning radio show to say that the family plans to make the rapper’s funeral public. The family wants to celebrate his connection with his fans.
“Without the fans, there would be no Quan,” – Corey Lamar, father of Rich Homie Quan
The celebration of life will take place at 11 a.m. on Sept. 17, with a public viewing being held from 7-10 a.m. Both will take place at World Changers Church International, 2500 Burdett Road in College Park.
