HOUSTON (AP) — Big Pokey, popular Texas rapper and original member of Houston pioneers Screwed Up Click. He died on Sunday after a performance of Juneteen. Born Milton Powell, Porky is 48 years old.
Known for Texas and Gulf Coast hits such as. “Ball and Parley”“Who’s talking?” And DJ Screw’s verse About 36 minutes of iconic freestyle known as “June 27”. He collapsed during a performance at Pour09, a Beaumont bar and nightlife space about an hour east of Houston.
A video of the rapper featured on , quickly went viral on social media. Megan Thee Stallion’s 2022 ‘Southside Loyalty Freestyle’ After taking a deep breath into the microphone, he seemed to pass out and fall on his back. Porky’s death was confirmed to the Associated Press by publicist La Torria Lemon and Jefferson County magistrate Tom Gillam III, where Powell was performing. Family members and others are awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death.
Big Pokey, known by various nicknames such as Big Poyo and Podina, began his rise to local fame in the late 90s as an original member of DJ Screw’s friend group turned rap collective Screwed Up Click. The trendsetting DJ developed a slow, pitched-down musical style known as “chopped and screwed” music. This musical style later became synonymous with Houston, and its mixtapes spread throughout the Southeastern United States.
Other popular Houston underground artists such as Lil Flip, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, and UGK signed national distribution deals, bringing the sound to mainstream attention, and the sound took off in the mid-2000s. reached its climax.
Porky released his debut album, Hardest Pit in the Ritter, in 1999, followed by Da Game 2000 the following year. It was a pre-streaming era, music was localized, and Houston’s most popular rapper was able to get rich without touring out of state or playing on the radio.
Porky grew up on the south side of Houston, became a football star at Yates High School, and became very close friends with George Floyd, the black man murdered by Minneapolis police. Global protests and a national liquidation of police brutality and racism have begun.
“This was my brother, and by law my homeboy was killed in front of the world to sit there and watch him die. We risked our lives until he died.” It was torture. He died a horrible death, it’s tragic,” Porky wrote in a Chronicle op-ed published days after Floyd’s murder.
In an op-ed calling for police accountability, Porky reflected on his days playing high school football with “Big Floyd” and their enduring bond.
“He’s from the 3rd Ward of Houston, Texas, and was proud of it every day until they arrested him,” he wrote. “He was someone. He had the whole community love him.”
Porky takes advantage of his athletic ability, Junior college football powerhouse Brin after that Abilene Christian University before focusing on his emceeing skills.
Nationally, Porky was best known for appearing on Paul Wall’s show. 2005 debut hit “Sittin’ Sideways”. The chorus is sampled from Porky’s verse on “June 27th,” a nod to the legendary soul band, “Boys sitting sideways dazed/You can bang Maze on Sunday night.” was rhyming.
“June 27th” is arguably considered the most influential song in Chopped & Screwed Cannon and one of the most important songs in Texas rap history. This sound is still prevalent among native Houstonians today. beyonce and Travis Scott Along with other huge artists, they have incorporated screwing elements into their music. kendrick lamarKanye West, A$AP Rocky, Bryson Tiller.Hip-hop superstar Drake, an avid fan of Houston’s rap, paid tribute to ‘June 27th’ About his song “November 18”.
Porky also produced other Texas classics, such as “On Choppers,” which the late Southern hip-hop icon Pimp C called “country rap tunes,” and wrote standout guest verses. Big Mo’s “Maan!”a popular Texas take Black Rob’s “Oh!”
His last project was 2021’s ‘Sensei’. Refers to another nickname of him, called his comeback album.
Fans, friends and collaborators took his death very seriously, with tributes pouring in from: paul wallslim sag, best friend lil kekeand Bang B, He called Powell “one of the most gifted artists” in Houston.
“He parked his car, did what he had to do, and went home. One of the pillars of our city,” Bun B said on Instagram.
Powell is survived by a wife and three college-aged children.
___
Follow @GaryGHamilton on all of Associated Press journalist Gary Gerald Hamilton’s social media platforms.
