Damn.
After a brief, but fierce battle with COVID-19, Bronx rapper Fred the Godson has died. He was only 35.
On April 6, he revealed he had been hospitalized and placed on a ventilator after contracting the coronavirus. In recent weeks, his publicist confirmed that he had been battling kidney failure and a fever as high as 105 degrees, but hope remained he would be able to make a full recovery despite his increased risk due to his pre-existing chronic condition.
“I’m in here wit this [COVID-19] shit!” he posted on Instagram earlier this month. “Please keep me in y’all prayers!!!!”
As news of the Payback rapper’s death has begun to circulate, friends, fans and collaborators took to social media to offer their condolences.
Since breaking through as a member of XXL’s Freshman Class of 2011 among heavyweights like Kendrick Lamar and Meek Mill, the underground sensation worked with everyone from Raekwon to Diddy as he cranked out project after project throughout the years.
In 2019 alone, he dropped God Level and the collaborative mixtape Gorilla Glue with Slaughterhouse alum Joell Ortiz. Yet despite critical acclaim, a nearly infinite pool of high-profile connections to draw from and a catalog that would embarrass some of your favorite rappers, the Payback rapper never received his just due as an artist.
Fred is survived by his two daughters and wife.