Chinx is shot and killed in Queens

Why it matters

Lionel Pickens, who recorded as Chinx (formerly Chinx Drugz), was shot and killed in a drive-by at 84th Drive and Queens Boulevard around 4:30 a.m. on May 17, 2015. He was 31. In 2017, a man named Yusef Taylor was convicted of the murder and sentenced to 32 years to life. Chinx was the central member of French Montana's Coke Boys crew and one of the most respected Queens rappers of the early-to-mid 2010s underground scene. His catalog (mostly mixtapes, plus a posthumous LP Welcome to JFK released later in 2015) had been building toward a major-label commercial moment. He had been close to breaking through nationally in the months before he died. The murder was reportedly retaliation for a 2014 incident. He left behind a teenage son who has since pursued his own rap career as Chinx Jr. The Coke Boys crew has, in the decade since, maintained Chinx's posthumous releases. You should hear his work if you do not know it. The voice was about to become widely known. It did not get the chance.