Fred the Godson passed away after testing positive for Coronavirus less than twenty days ago. His passing was first reported by DJ Self. He was only 35 years old, and a mainstay in the New York hip-hop community. Coronavirus has taken over 11,000 lives in New York alone, with the tally of cases in NY totaling just over 145,000, as of this afternoon. The State remains one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.

The Bronx native never quite attained mainstream level stardom, but his talent wasn’t unrecognized, either. He remained an independent force through out his career. He was among the 2011 XXL Freshman class– an iconic cover, if you’ll recall, that also featured Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, YG and Big K.R.I.T.

The news of his unfortunate death has spread like wildfire across social media, resulting in many artists paying their respects to the rapper virtually. 

We’ve rounded up some of the tributes to Fred the Godson, with messages from Westside Gunn, Nas, Lloyd Banks, Alchemist and more pouring in. Fat Joe had a particularly heartfelt Instagram post dedicated to Fred.

We’re sending our condolences to his family during this extremely difficult time. Rest in Peace.