‘Pop, Lock & Drop It’ rapper Huey killed in shooting: report

The St. Louis native was reportedly shot and killed at the age of 31

Jun 26, 2020

Rapper Huey attends Chris Brown's "Off The Wall" 18th birthday party held at 40/40 club on May 6, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

Rapper Huey, best known for his hit 2006 single “Pop, Lock & Drop It,” has reportedly died at the age of 31 after being shot.

The crunk artist, whose legal name was Lawrence Franks Jr., was shot and killed in his native St. Louis around 11 p.m. on Thursday, according to local news outlet KTVI.

St. Louis County Police Department confirmed the shooting in a statement to Newsweek on Friday, but did not confirm the identity of the deceased.

“The identity of a victim of a homicide will not be provided until that identity is positively confirmed and their next of kin notified,” Sergeant Benjamin Granda told the publication.

The victim of Thursday’s shooting was transported with one gunshot wound to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said during a press briefing per Newsweek. The shooting was related to a second shootout near a single-family home in the 8100 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard in Kinloch, Missouri, authorities added.

The second shooting victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after he arrived at the police station.

St. Louis producer and songwriter Jaylien Wesley confirmed the news in a tweet on Friday, writing: “shed a few, my dawg Huey is gone forever. thank you for the talk, thank you for your energy, thank you for believing in me. Ima help keep your spirit alive down here. much much love forever.”

shed a few , my dawg Huey is gone forever. thank you for the talk, thank you for your energy, thank you for believing in me. Ima help keep your spirit alive down here. much much love forever. pic.twitter.com/18S62VBvbW

— JAYLIEN (@jaylienwesley) June 26, 2020

Jevon M. Tompkins, president of IDOL Music Group and founder of St. Louis’ Blanco Tarantino TV, also offered his condolences on Twitter.

“STL native Huey, best known for his classic single ‘Pop Lock & Drop It,’ was shot and killed earlier tonight and was expected to shoot a video this Saturday. This just hit home fr,” a tweet from the Blanco Tarantino account read.

Huey first came to fame in early 2007 when his single, “Pop, Lock & Drop It,” began to rise up the charts. The song, which was released in September 2006, eventually hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts with thousands of fans emulating its popular dance move.

A remix featuring Bow Wow and T-Pain was released shortly thereafter. Huey went on to release two more projects: his second album, “Redemption,” and a 2014 mixtape, “Project H.”

He is survived by a 13-year-old daughter.

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