Emerging rapper Lil Snupe, a recent signee to Meek Mill’s Dream Chaser’s label, was shot and killed early Thursday morning (June 20) in Winnfield, La.
Police say 18-year-old Addarren Ross was killed around 4:00 a.m. at the Maplewood Apartments in Winnfield, according to CBS affiliate KNOE8. Ross, known as Lil Snupe, had two gunshot wounds.
Earlier reports that Snupe was killed during the course of a dice game are false, said Lt. Charles M. Curry of the Winnfield Police Department. The official did confirm with NBC33, Baton Rouge’s NBC affiliate, that the rapper knew his killer.
“We’re working diligently to investigate this case and track down the suspect,” he said.
The suspect’s name has not been released out of respect for the family.
Winnfield (pop. 4,840) is located about an hour north of Alexandria in the heart of the state. It’s not immediately known why Snupe was in the small town. Sources tell Billboard the artist may have been living in Baton Rouge while some previous articles written about the young rapper have listed Jonesboro, La., about 80 miles east of Shreveport, as his hometown.
In freestyle raps posted online, Snupe has name-dropped “225” — the Baton Rouge area code.
His manager, DJ Smallz and Dream Chasers’ Louie V Gutta tweeted of Lil Snupe’s death this morning.
Meek Mill signed Snupe to Dream Chasers last year after listening to his mixtape for 20 minutes, the late Louisiana rapper told MTV News in February. “He was in a van, they was finna pull off. And I went and knocked on the van, on the window. They let the window down, grabbed the mixtape and it was like 10 minutes later, 20 minutes later they called me,” he said.
“He was spittin’ so much pain, he’s from the south with a flow like an east coast guy,” Meek told MTV.