Rapper Big Pokey Dies After Collapsing On Stage At 45

Rapper Big Pokey died at age 45 after he collapsed on stage on Sunday. 

Pokey, whose real name is Milton Powell, was performing for Juneteenth at the Pour09 Bar & Rooftop in Texas. During his show, he fell backward and seemed to suffer a medical emergency. He was rushed to the hospital where he later died. 

His death was announced on his Instagram page. A photo of him was posted with the caption, “It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved Milton “Big Pokey” Powell. Big Pokey passed away on June 18, 2023. He was well-loved by his family, his friends, and his loyal fans. In the coming days, we will release information about his celebration of life and how the public can pay their respects. We ask that you respect his family and their privacy during this difficult time. Big Pokey will forever be ‘The Hardest Pit in the Litter’!”

The phrase “The Hardest Pit in the Litter!” refers to Powell’s 1999 album Hardest Pit in the Litter. 

People offered his family their condolences in the comments. 

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The cause of death has not yet been announced and is still undetermined until the autopsy is performed. 

Powell was born in Texas in November 1977. 

His career started in the 1990s and he worked with DJ Screw to release songs on DJ Screw’s mixtapes. Powell was first featured on the June 27th Freestyle mixtape by DJ Screw. The mixtape would become iconic in chopped and screwed hip-hop. 

In 1999, Powell released his own album called Hardest Pit in the Litter. He went on to release several more albums, including D-Game 2000, Da Sky’s Da Limit, Evacuation Notice and Sensei. 

One of his songs was featured on an episode of Entourage where they included a clip of the song “Who Dat Talkin Down.”