Houston Rapper Big Pokey Died on Stage
Big Pokey, whose real name was Milton Powell, gained fame as a prominent member of the Screwed Up Click, a renowned collective of Houston-based musicians credited with spearheading the distinctive chopped-and-screwed genre in hip-hop. Regrettably, news recently surfaced indicating that Big Pokey died.
He died Sunday after a fall onstage that was captured on video.
The video circulating on social media shows Big Pokey, who was 48 years old, appearing to faint or pass out while standing on an elevated stage with a microphone.
He seems to take a deep breath and then falls backward, causing panicked onlookers to rush to help him. He was taken to a hospital but later died.
The cause of death has not been publicly released. According to a statement from his representatives, he will be remembered as a “trailblazer” and someone who was “easy to love and hard to hate.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner took to Twitter to offer prayers and condolences to those who knew him. Other local artists, including Paul Wall, Lil Keke, and Bun B, shared their condolences with the public.
Powell’s Music Legacy
Powell’s first appearance on a Screw Tape came in 1996, when he freestyled for six minutes on the 35-minute “June 27th” album. Other albums included Evacuation Notice, Da Sky’s Da Limit, and Sensei.
Big Pokey was a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and was active in protesting the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.
He was also a longtime friend of the late DJ Screw, who formed the Screwed Up Click in the Nineties.
The group, including ESG, Botany Boyz, Fat Pat, and the Lil’ Flips, was instrumental in establishing Houston as a center of hip-hop culture.
Bun B remembered Big Pokey as a “low-key, humble mountain of a man who moved with honor and respect.”
He was a “great influence on the rap community in Houston,” he said. Bun B called him a “trailblazer” and an artist who was easy to love and hard to hate. He was a “humble, strong, beautiful, wise and loving human being.”
Rest in peace, Big Pokey. We will miss you.
