How tributes began arriving on Thursday sudden death rapper Rich Homie Quan (born Dequantes Lamar), one particularly stood out. Another Atlanta MC Quavo, one third of the city’s legendary rap trio, Migos, posted a photograph on his Instagram Stories. “May God be with us, we never saw this as part of our journey” he wrote in the photo, which features himself, his Migos bandmates Offset and Takeoff (killed November 2022), Rich Homie Quan and the currently imprisoned and awaiting trial Young Thug.

The frozen moment was a stupendous reminder of five artists who reshaped the sound of hip-hop in the post-blog era of the early and mid-2010s, in addition to a painful reminder of how much the city and culture of Atlanta has sacrificed musically and culturally.

Rich Homie Quan, who would have turned 34 in October, was a timeless artist. His unique mix of melody and lyrical dexterity made him a signature voice for Atlanta and hip-hop over the past decade. His hits became party anthems and rallying cries like “Flex (Oh, Oh, Oh)“Go through“YG”My find“And”Type of road,” Which Michigan State University football team the band used the song as its theme song to propel them to a 2014 Rose Bowl victory over Stanford with Rich Homie Quan in the locker room afterward. Retired coach Mike Dantonio expressed his condolences on X, formerly generally known as Twitter. Like many rappers of the era, particularly from the South, his catalog included quite a few cult classic mixtapes (with DJ Drama) and EPs. His one studio album, , was released in 2018.

His most memorable and genre-bending project is gearing as much as rejoice its tenth anniversary on September 29. In 2014, Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug released . At that point Rich Homie Quan Described as “their best collaboration since OutKast.” Turns out he was right. Across the sprawling, 20-track odyssey, the two combined sounds, cadences, and unorthodox rhyme schemes to create cult classics like “Lifestyle“Tell them“And”Freestyle.” was called a “ridiculously funny mixtape” and heralded the arrival of a “latest rap supergroup.” HipHopDX praised the project, saying it felt almost “large enough to persuade you that these guys are Billboard-certified stars and not only tweety weirdo rap mainstays.”

Therein lies the heart of the pain attributable to Quavo’s Instagram Stories photo, which seems distant since it is. Rich Homie Quan’s death is one other blow to the city’s rap scene, which isn’t any stranger to grief. Young Thug has been in prison for 2 years, with an end to his RICO trial seemingly out of sight. Bankroll Fresh, whose “Take over your trap“it happened sports anthemwas killed in 2016 at the age of 28. Police closed the case in 2018 without an arrest. The “Bring It Back” rapper Troubles was killed in 2019 at the age of 34, and Lil Baby, Lil Marlo’s partner, died in 2020 at the age of 30 Shooting from the rideYSL/Young Thug collaborator Lil Keed died in 2022 at just 24 years old as a result of liver and kidney failure.

Takeoff’s death, like the 2022 death of TLC rapper Left Eye, has taken away the future of one other legendary Atlanta trio. Quavo and Offset are the survivors of that era. Their contemporary, Rich Homie Quan, has continued to reminisce on social media, expressing how wonderful artist, but really manwas alleged to be nearby. How generous what kind of person he was. And how modern he was for his short time in the highlight. It’s common rhetoric in death, but its weight never becomes less real or grim.

In the wake of Rich Homie Quan’s death, rap is coming to terms with a harsh truth. The generation of ATLiens has been essentially worn out. These artists, including Rich Homie Quan, spent years creating the sound of the city and the soundtrack of post-blog rap culture. They got here. They saw. They conquered. And almost as quickly because it happened, it was over. Not just of their careers, but of their lives. Few made it to 30. Even fewer made it to 35.

The longer we live, the more we realize how present death is in every moment. Rich Homie Quan, like many others of his generation, and his success reflected the memories they cherished through their music. The drunken nights at the club or barbecues. The house parties that seemed limitless and the road trips that also dominate group chat conversations. The memories are everlasting, but the success was never meant to be. With the death of Rich Homie Quan comes the age-old query that has been asked of artists who died far too soon, long before he was born. What did he actually sacrifice for that success? And how much of his success was already perceived as not his?

In a 2023 interview on Math Hoffa podcast, Rich Homie Quan opened up about his struggles with addiction, which he called the “dark cloud” at the time, and the reason his music profession faded.

“That was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. I got to that point quickly…! I blame myself” he said.

Asked if he was high, Rich Homie Quan made no bones about citing his heavy use of the mind-altering drug molly. “Oh, fuck yeah! I was molly every single day. High! Chilled! I felt like I couldn’t do a song or a show without being on molly.”

As for who introduced him to Molly, he replied, “A family member.”

Rich Homie Quan’s girlfriend, Amber Williams, reportedly found him passed out on a couch. Early reports indicate a drug overdose. His peak as an artist was temporary, but at all times undeniable and at all times timeless. That’s not the most heartbreaking part. At 33, Rich Homie Quan is now hip-hop’s newest forefather. His memories permanently inhabit the past tense. And if that overdose led to his final moments, he’s one of the last names to succumb to The drug epidemic in America. Rich Homie Quan’s music will discover a place to live when those that grew up along with his music are older. The music is supposed to outlive the artist. Nevertheless, the loss of Rich Homie Quan is critical.

Unfortunately, this territory is all too familiar to hip-hop — especially the city of Atlanta.