Magnolia Shorty

Magnolia Shorty
Background information
Birth nameRenetta Yemika Lowe
Also known asMagnolia $horty
Born(1982-09-30)September 30, 1982
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedDecember 20, 2010(2010-12-20) (aged 28)
Edgelake, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
GenresHip hop (New Orleans bounce music)
OccupationsRapper
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1994–2010
LabelsCash Money

Renetta Yemika Lowe-Bridgewater (September 30, 1982 – December 20, 2010), known by the stage name Magnolia Shorty, was an American rapper in the New Orleans–based bounce music scene.[1]

Music career

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Magnolia Shorty and Ms. Tee (Trishell Williams) were the first women signed to Cash Money Records.[2] Her 1997 debut album Monkey on the Dick (often stylized Monkey On Tha D$ck) is considered a bounce classic, and she "was already considered a legend of bounce music" at the time of her death.[2] Offbeat said the album exemplifies "the eccentric New Orleans elements of sexuality, comedy and hard edged dance rhythms."[3] In his 2007 book Triksta, Nik Cohn credits Magnolia Shorty with his own discovery of bounce, and the third chapter of that book is named after her debut album. She was sampled on Fort Worth, Texas rapper Bone's hit “Homegurl” as well as "In My Feelings" by Drake and "Wobble Up" by Chris Brown.[4][5]

Magnolia Shorty was discovered by Birdman.[6][7] She received her nickname from Soulja Slim, also known as Magnolia Slim, because both had grown up in New Orleans' dangerous Magnolia Projects.[8] Nicknamed "Queen of Bounce," she collaborated with many Cash Money artists beginning in the 1990s, including Juvenile and Hot Boys.[4] She was first featured on Juvenile's 1997 song "3rd Ward Solja."[9] In 2009 she appeared at the SXSW music festival[10] and won Best Bounce Song at the Underground Hip-Hop Awards in New Orleans.[2] She was a member of Lil Wayne's Cash Money crew in the early 1990s, and she was collaborating as well as working on her second album on the Cash Money/Young Money label in 2010.[11]

Death

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On December 20, 2010, Magnolia was going back to her apartment to get something before heading to Miami, Florida to perform at a bounce-type genre festival. When she pulled in through the gate, another car came in behind her car and circled around her and blocked her in. Two men got out of the car and started shooting through the windows. She was hit with 26 bullets and was killed in the car with Jerome Hampton in a double homicide in the parking lot of the gated apartment complex where she lived, called the Georgetown of New Orleans, in the New Orleans East neighborhood of Edgelake. [12][13] Police described the crime as a drive-by shooting.[14] Her funeral was held on December 30, 2010, at the Fifth African Baptist Church in her hometown of New Orleans. Lil Wayne, B.G., Juvenile, Mack Maine and Birdman were among the more than 100 mourners at the funeral.[15] She was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in New Orleans. On November 18, 2011, Magnolia's widower, Carl Bridgewater (31), was shot dead. He had recently gotten out of prison and lived with his pregnant girlfriend.[16]

Murder investigation and trial

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In August 2014, an Orleans Parish grand jury indicted four suspected gang members on murder charges in the slaying of New Orleans rapper Magnolia Shorty and a rival gang member. The indictment came as a result of a federal investigation by the New Orleans FBI's Gang Task Force.[17] On February 22, 2017, the jury in the federal trial of ten men accused of being part of the "39ers" gang found all ten guilty of a racketeering charge. At least seven of the defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to use firearms to further drug trafficking crimes and crimes of violence. Two of the defendants, McCoy "Rat" Walker and Terrioues "T-Red" Owney, were found guilty of the murder.[18][19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cadogan, Garnette (August 2007). "Bounce Back: Not even Katrina can stop the other New Orleans Beat, still bubbling under the radar". Vibe, p. 96.
  2. ^ a b c Fensterstock, Allison (December 21, 2010). Friends, colleagues remember slain rapper Magnolia Shorty. New Orleans Times-Picayune
  3. ^ Swenson, John (March 1, 2010). A lucky bounce. Offbeat
  4. ^ a b Cohn, Nik (2007). "Monkey on that Dick." in Triksta: life and death and New Orleans rap, pp. 57-80. Knopf, ISBN 978-1-4000-4245-6
  5. ^ "Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, & G-Eazy Sample a Classic Magnolia Shorty Song on "Wobble Up"".
  6. ^ Hermes, Will (December 4, 2005). The Rap Before the Rain. New York Times
  7. ^ Fensterstock, Alison (December 25, 2009). New Orleans events calendar for Christmas night 2009. NOLA.com
  8. ^ Grossberg, Josh (December 21, 2010). Five Things To Know About Slain Rapper Magnolia Shorty. E! Online
  9. ^ Concepcion, Mariel (December 21, 2010). Former Cash Money Rapper Magnolia Shorty Gunned Down. Billboard
  10. ^ Zeichner, Naomi (December 21, 2010). Nicki Not The First Femcee: Rest In Power Magnolia Shorty. The Fader
  11. ^ Staff report (December 22, 2010). Lil Wayne's Cash Money crew member Magnolia Shorty shot dead. NME
  12. ^ Staff report (December 20, 2010). Fans Remember Rapper Magnolia Shorty. Archived 2012-03-08 at the Wayback Machine WDSU
  13. ^ Johnston, Maura (December 21, 2010). New Orleans Rapper Magnolia Shorty Murdered. Rolling Stone
  14. ^ Associated Press (December 21, 2010). New Orleans Rapper Magnolia Shorty Shot to Death. ABC News
  15. ^ "Funeral for Magnolia Shorty Held in New Orleans". www.eurweb.com. Archived from the original on 2014-09-04.
  16. ^ Deceased Rapper Magnolia Shorty's Husband Shot Dead. HipHopWired.com November 18, 2011.
  17. ^ 4 Suspected Gang Members Indicted In Slaying of rapper Magnolia Shorty. NOLA.com August 22, 2014.
  18. ^ "39ers Trial: Jury Finds All 10 Defendants Guilty of Gang Conspiracy". NOLA.com, February 23, 2017.
  19. ^ "In Trial of 39ers Gang Member, Jury Finds 10 Guilty of Racketeering". FOX8Live.com, Feb. 22, 2017.
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