Young Pappy

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Shaquon Thomas (c. 1995 – May 29, 2015), known as Young Pappy, was a Chicago rapper tied to the North Side drill scene. He grew up in Rogers Park and Uptown and built a local following with YouTube videos. Fans and critics credit his harsh, rapid delivery and taunting lyrics as influential in drill, and his 2014 song Killa is often called essential to the sound. His 2015 mixtape 2 Cups: Part 2 of Everything was later praised as one of the decade’s best Chicago albums.

Thomas faced a troubled life before his death. He was linked to the Insane Cutthroat Gangsters (PBG) and had multiple arrests from a young age. He survived two 2014 shootings in which bystanders were killed or injured: a McDonald’s parking lot attack that left a bystander dead, and a separate West Devon Avenue shooting that killed a photographer. He also served time for weapons offenses and other charges. On May 8, 2015, he held a release party for his mixtape that led to gunfire and a five-hour SWAT standoff; he and about 30 others surrendered and were charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. In the same year, the Chicago Police placed him on its Strategic Subject List, a predictive-policing program.

Young Pappy was shot and killed in Uptown Chicago on May 29, 2015; no arrests were made at the time. His death drew attention to the link between online taunts on social media and real-world violence, a topic scholars and prosecutors discussed in relation to “cyberbanging.” His music left a lasting influence on Chicago’s drill scene, and he is remembered by fellow artists and in tributes. His older brother, Ryan “BuDouble” Thomas II, survives him.