St. Louis rapper Lawrence Franks, Jr, better known as Huey, died from a fatal gunshot wound Thursday night. According to police, the 32-year-old was in front of his home when the incident took place with at least ten other people present. Reports also indicate a 21-year-old man suffered a non-fatal gunshot as well.
Franks, Jr. was taken to the hospital but was pronounced dead after arrival. No arrests or suspects have been identified at this time.
Fans and people within the industry expressed sadness and condolences. He is survived by his 13-year-old daughter.
“The last time we performed together! Y’all knew him as Huey, to his loved ones he was LJ! My Lil cousin! Rest Easy! This hit us hard man!” said his cousin Bruce Franks, Jr on Twitter.
Huey’s 2006 Single “Pop, Lock & Drop It” got him signed to Jive Records.
Huey is best known for his 2006 hit song “Pop, Lock & Drop It.” The song was one of the biggest songs in hip-hop at the time peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. After “Pop, Lock & Drop It” became a local hit in St. Louis, Huey signed with Jive Records, adding the song as the lead single to his official debut album Notebook Paper.
At the time Huey’s song fell into the same style as other ‘song and dance’ tracks of the time like DJ Webstar & Young B‘s “Chicken Noodle Soup”, Soulja Boys “Crank Dat”, Unk “Walk It Out”, GS Boyz “Stanky Leg” and Dem Franchize Boyz “Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It.” Huey’s style has often been compared to other rappers like Nelly and Chingy who are also artists from the St. Louis area.
After the release of his sophomore album Redemption in 2010, Huey signed to Waka Flocka Flames’ Brick Squad Monopoly label in 2013. Huey was preparing to film a music video for his latest single “Lap Dance” on Saturday, June 27th. He was planning a private pool party for the video shoot at a secret location.
