American rapper Big Pokey dies on stage at concert, age 45

The Houston rapper died after suddenly collapsing on stage at a bar in the city of Beaumont on Saturday night. Big Pokey was 45.

Authorities announced on Sunday morning, June 18, the death of Milton Powell, better known by his stage name Big Pokey. His Worship Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston, paid a heartfelt tribute. “Although many called him “discreet”, his presence was larger than life to help catapult our hip hop scene nationally,” he tweeted.

The cause of his death is still unknown. The US press and Big Pokey’s family reported the death of the Houston-born rapper after his collapse at a concert in Beaumont, Texas.

Videos from the scene were circulating on social media as early as Saturday night.

According to the press, the emergency services had tried in vain to revive him on the spot before taking him to the hospital.

For the Los Angeles Times, Houston’s pioneering rapper Big Pokey helped transform the city’s hip-hop scene. The interpreter of Who Dat Talking Down has been working in collaboration in recent years.

His debut album The Hardest Pit in the Litter, released in 1999, received an enthusiastic reception from critics and audiences. In addition to his solo work, Big Pokey was part of Screwed Up Click, an original collective adventure in the rap world.

Big Pokey’s last studio album, Sensei, was released two years ago. Last March, he participated in a mini album (EP) with his accomplice J Dawg, also from Houston.