Chinx, an emerging New York rapper in French Montana’s Coke Boys crew, was shot and killed early this morning in Queens. He was 31.
Chinx—real name Lionel Pickens—was shot in his car when another drove by and fired at him, reports 7 Online. At 4 a.m., Pickens, along with another passenger, were driving westbound on Queens Boulevard when a second car approached them on 84th Drive in Briarwood. A gunman from the second vehicle fired multiple shots that hit them both. Pickens was killed, while the other passenger is in critical condition at Jamaica Hospital.
Pickens’ last photo was taken last night at a club appearance in Red Wolf. There are also videos of him about to perform taken by DJ Babyface.
The Coke Boys rapper was on the rise since he was released from his four-year sentence at Mid-State Correctional Facility in upstate New York. As a protégé to Stack Bundles and Max B, he aligned himself with Montana and began working closely with him as early as 2009. He is best known for his Cocaine Riot series and gained more attention from his street singles “Feelings” and “Couple Ni**as.” Recently, he was featured on Montana’s Casino Life 2 mixtape on tracks such as “Off the Rip” and “Coke Boy Money.”
Prominent names in hip-hop like Meek Mill have expressed their condolences. "Can't let these suckas shatter ya dreams! RIP CHINX!," he wrote on Twitter. "And the hood gotta stop glorifying suckas that kill good people! I take that shit personal when somebody that's truly Tryna win get killed..... I really feel that shit in my chest!"
Calls to Chinx’s management have not yet been returned. Complex will keep you updated as this story progresses.
Update 5/18/15 (6:35 p.m.): Just hours after the shooting police in Far Rockaway, Queens took "at least two men" into custody for questioning in the murder of Chinx, CBS 2 reports.
