Half Ounce, a rapper who put out a number of projects over the past seven years, was shot and killed this past Monday (Oct. 3). The shooting death of Half Ounce, who hailed from Inglewood, adds to a chilling tally of rappers killed in Los Angeles County in under a month.
Half Ounce, real name Latauriisha O’Brien, was shot while sitting inside an SUV in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times, O’Brien was 36 although another report from NBC News lists his age as 32. According to the NBC News report, O’Brien was a father of three who held a day job at UPS as shared by the rapper’s family with the outlet. O’Brien was signed to San Diego record label Wrongkind Records, which has released music with local star Mitchty Slick of Strong Arm Steady fame.
Half Ounce’s passing is the third such violent death to occur, the first being Philadelphia rapper PnB Rock inside a Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles location. Three people have been arrested in the death of the artist whose real name was Rakim Allen.
The Times added in its reporting that rapper Kee Riches, real name Kian Nellum, was shot and killed in Compton on Sept. 24 along with another man. Kee Riches was 23.
The family of Half Ounce launched a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs. Please click here to learn more.
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Photo: GoFundMe
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