The 'Real Steppers' spitter is pronounced dead after he's taken to a hospital for 'life threatening injuries' following a shooting incident in the 3400 block of Walters Lane in District Heights.
- Mar 21, 2022
AceShowbiz - Rapper Goonew has sadly died. According to his manager, the "Real Steppers" spitter was killed during a fatal shooting incident in District Heights, Maryland. He was only 24 years old.
Announcing the heartbreaking news was his manager. The manager confirmed to The Washington Post that the hip-hop artist, who was also known as Big Whizzle, passed away on Friday, March 18.
"The 24-year-old Maryland rapper had a gift for smearing time, phrasing his rhymes slightly in front of the beat, making the present moment feel weightless and imprecise," an obituary from the outlet read. "It gave his music an enchanted atemporality, but for Goonew, it all felt perfectly natural."
The Prince George's County Police Department initially shared the news, tweeting that a shooting had taken place at 5:45 P.M in the 3400 block of Walters Lane in District Heights. "Once on scene, they located an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to a hospital for life threatening injuries. At approx. 7:30 pm, the victim was pronounced dead," read the tweet. A reward of up to $25,000 is also available for information that leads to an arrest, per a PGPD news release.
Goonew had been involved in a shooting in 2019 but he survived. The "No Diss" rapper, whose real name is Markelle Antonio Morrow, tweeted a year later, "I Ain't Never Show This Pictures But July 5th Last Year They Told My Mother I Was Dead I Came Back… I'm Blessed & thankful I'm Still Here."
Goonew first made a name for himself in 2017 after working with Lil Dude, before signing with Hoodrich Pablo Juan. He had released several mixtapes, including "Hey Auntie", "Big 64" and "Goonwick 2".
Goonew's death came just days after rapper Baby Cino tragically passed away. The 20-year-old emcee was shot just moments after being released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami. He'd been arrested on a gun charge.
The "Big Haiti Shottas" spitter, who was reportedly still wearing an inmate wristband, reportedly suffered several gunshot wounds. They included one to his head, according to the Miami Herald.
