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Early this morning, unfortunate news broke that Philly rapper Meek Mill's affiliate Lil Snupe was murdered. While details about the killing have been scant, several artists including DJ Khaled and Turk have expressed their condolences to Snupe's family in this time of turmoil.

Snupe, a Louisiana native, met Meek Mill while he was on a tour stop in Louisiana, where Snupe apparently passed him a demo CD. An hour later, Meek signed Snupe to his Dream Chasers imprint. His most recent work, which came out just two months ago, was his February mixtape R.N.I.C. 

The entire XXL staff is extremely sympathetic to Snupe's untimely passing, but since the passing of rapper's affiliates doesn't seem to be a rare occurrence (especially recently), we decided to put together a short list of unfortunate deaths of rappers' affiliates, from Joey Bada$$'s friend Capital STEEZ to Waka Flocka and Gucci Mane's close confidant Slim Dunkin.

Party Arty
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Party Arty, Affiliate Of D.I.T.C.

Party Arty, a Bronx native, was a close affiliate of the legendary New York rap unit D.I.T.C., or the Diggin' In The Crates crew. In his short but relatively successful career, Arty was featured on several D.I.T.C. releases and went on to work with hip-hop legends like Lord Finesse, Madlib, DJ Premier and was even featured on a song with Jay-Z and Big L. Arty passed away at the age of 31 on the afternoon of December 4th, 2008, due to undisclosed health complications.

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Slim Dunkin, Affiliate Of Waka Flocka And Gucci Mane 

Slim Dunkin, an Atlanta native, was a childhood friend and close ally to ATL icons Waka Flocka and Gucci Mane. Dunkin, aka Mario Hamilton, was signed to Waka's Brick Squad imprint and was featured on Waka and Gucci's collaborative Ferrari Boyz album, but before he was able to take off as a solo artist, met his untimely demise in a truly saddening way. On the night of his death, Dunkin, who was 24 at the time, was in a recording studio shooting a music video for Gucci Mane's song "Push Ups," when he and fellow rapper Young Vito got into an altercation over a piece of candy. Vito—who was recently acquitted of murdering Dunkin, but found guilty of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm—went on to reportedly pull out a pistol and shoot Dunkin in the chest. Dunkin was pronounced dead on December 16, 2011.

Capital Steez
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Capital STEEZ, Affiliate Of Joey Bada$$  

Capital STEEZ, a Brooklyn native and member of the Pro Era crew—home to 2013 XXL Freshman Joey Bada$$—was an ingenious producer and aggressive rhymer, who was featured prominently on Joey's debut 1999 mixtape as well as Pro Era's Peep: The aPROcalypse compilation project. With a building buzz and a bright future ahead of him, STEEZ (real name Jamal Dewar) met his end in a truly bizarre and heartbreaking fashion. On December 23, 2012, just two days after the release of Peep, he subtly tweeted "The end." The next day, on Christmas Eve, news broke that STEEZ had taken his own life. In a heartfelt reaction, Joey tweeted, "This unfortunate xmas eve.. Lost a best friend, a brother, a pro, a partner. Letting go is never easy.. May ur soul rest in peace Jamal…" STEEZ was 19 at the time.

D-Boy
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D-Boy Killa Stone, Affiliate Of Lil Wayne And Cash Money Records

Cash Money Records affiliate D-Boy Killa Stone, aka Alvin Nelson, played an integral part in the beginnings of Cash Money's reign. Before becoming a rapper, Stone managed an artist under Cash Money affiliate Soulja Slim. After deciding to pursue rap, Stone performed as a part of group Cash Money Degreez and duo D-Boyz, and went on to work with Lil Wayne and Juvenile. He also co-wrote the Big Tymers' seminal hit "Still Fly." Stone passed away on January 31, 2013 while in a Louisiana prison; the cause of his death was reportedly natural causes. After his passing, Cash Money legends Juvenile and Wayne respectively tweeted, "Just lost one of my best friends today Remember to tell your people you love while they still here Rest In peace Alvin Stone" and "RIP Killa Stone. Real ni55a forever!  Another UPTOWN legend."

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Lil Snupe, Affiliate Of Meek Mill 

Lil Snupe, a Louisiana native, was one of the marquee artists signed to Meek Mill's Dream Chasers label, which was established in October 2012. The 18-year-old was picked up by Meek when he gave him his demo tape during a Louisiana tour stop. Snupe would go on to be dubbed as the next star to rise from Meek’s label, especially because of his unique ability to consistently freestyle slick bars off the top. Snupe reportedly died from a fatal gunshot wound on June 20, 2013. Many fans and close affiliates have been affected by the loss.

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