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Justin Riley, the Houston-based rapper who performed under the names BeatKing and Club Godzilla, died on Thursday at the age of 39.
Riley, who broke out in 2010 with the single “Crush” and found success on TikTok with the 2020 club hit “Then Leave,” was doing a morning takeover at Urban One/Radio One in Houston when he fainted and was rushed to a nearby hospital. He died that same day of a pulmonary embolism. TMZ was the first to report the cause and location of his death.
Riley’s manager, Tasha Felder, confirmed the news of his death with a statement on Instagram this morning.
“BeatKing has been the best part of the club for over a decade,” Felder wrote. “He has produced and worked with so many artists that his sound will forever live.”
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Outside of music, Riley was known for making and wearing t-shirts bearing funny catchphrases such as “Can’t Be Horny and Broke” and “Squirting is Cool But it Stank.”
Humor was at the core of most of his creations.
“I think it’s just my personality,” he told HotNewHipHop in 2022. “Even when I try to talk about some real stuff, I try to bring life to it. Kind of like what a comedian does on a stage. Real life things are funny too.”
He brought this same philosophy to his parenting account on Instagram, Club God Parenting, where he would document life with his 12- and 13-year-old daughters. The girls were by his side when he died.
Riley’s fans and peers have taken to social media to pay their respects.
“It’s always a good one,” Bun B wrote on Instagram. “We lost a talented artist and father.”
“I have seen literally hundreds of BeatKing posts with regular people who took pictures with him or DJs and musicians who worked with him,” DJ General Mealz wrote on X. “That really shows me how long he had been hustling.”
“Literally was the best part of our college days,” one fan commented on Felder’s post.
I have seen literally hundreds of Beatking post with regular people who took pictures with him or DJs and musicians who worked with him, Not just a bunch of RIP Post. That really shows me how long he had been hustling. The brother was different when it came to networking
— YO MAMAS FAVORITE DJ (@DJGENERALMEALZ) August 16, 2024
