Houston luminaries come out for Big Pokey funeral

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and rapper Slim Thug paid their respects to the co-founder of DJ Screw’s Screwed Up Click The post Houston luminaries come out for Big Pokey funeral appeared first on TheGrio.

Jul 3, 2023 - 12:00

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Houston luminaries come out for Big Pokey funeral

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and rapper Slim Thug paid their respects to the co-founder of DJ Screw’s Screwed Up Click at his funeral on Saturday.

Rapper Big Pokey’s funeral took place in his hometown of Houston. The service drew well-known local figures of the political and entertainment community to pay their respects.

Fellow Houston rappers Slim Thug, Paul Wall, and Trae Tha Truth turned up at the Fountain of Praise Church in Houston on July 1, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee also attended the service.

Pokey, born Milton Powell, died on June 18 during a performance in Beaumont, Texas. The rapper was on the mic when he suddenly collapsed on stage, as seen in videos circulating on social media. Milton was 48, and no cause of death has been determined following a preliminary autopsy.

Big Pokey dies — Big Pokey performs on Jan. 19, 2020, during the birthday celebration for Z-Ro at The House of Blues in Downtown Houston. Milton Powell, a Houston rapper who performed under the name Big Pokey and is credited with elevating the city’s hip-hop scene, died June 18, 2023, after collapsing during a show in Texas, according to a local justice of the peace. He was 48. (Photo by Jamaal Ellis/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Milton’s death was confirmed on his Instagram page. “He was well-loved by his family, friends, and loyal fans,” the post read. “We ask that you respect his family and their privacy during this difficult time. Big Pokey will forever be ‘The Hardest Pit in the Litter.'”

Milton gained notoriety in the Houston hip-hop community as a founding member of the Screwed Up Click. The Screwed Up Click was a collective of local MCs spawned from the leadership of late DJ and producer DJ Screw, who pioneered the chopped-and-screwed style of music production.

The grassroots success of DJ Screw’s chopped-and-screwed tapes, which featured pitched-down hip-hop beats with the Screwed Up Click rhyming over them, led Milton to gain recognition in Texas. He rapped on DJ Screw’s “June 27th,” Wall’s “Sittin’ Sideways,” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Southside Royalty Freestyle.”

Milton released numerous solo albums during his life, including his 1999 debut, “The Hardest Pit in the Litter,” “D-Game (2000),” and “Da Sky’s Da Limit (2002).” Milton released his final album, “Sensei,” in 2021.

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The post Houston luminaries come out for Big Pokey funeral appeared first on TheGrio.