[introImage id=151711 caption=”Source: Instagram @bigtee.tp95″]
A somber mood pervades Houston’s hip-hop community this week. On Monday, May 7, Houston rapper Big T passed away at the age of 52. Big T (also stylized as Big Tee), whose real name was Terence Prejean, was a well-known figure in the Houston rap community, particularly for the iconic hook he laid down on Lil’ Troy’s “Wanna Be A Baller”. The track was a single off of Lil’ Troy’s album Back To Ballin, which was released back in 2001. Big T was nicknamed the “Million Dollar Hook Man” for his frequent features on other artists’ tracks.
According to Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences spokeswoman Tricia Bentley, Big T passed away at a Houston hospital at the beginning of this week. Although the official cause of his death is currently unknown, Big T’s longtime friend Tony Williams, a rapper also known as Tiger T, said that he may have had a heart attack.
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Although Big T released albums such as Million Dollar Hooks and Power Move in the early 2000s, he was better known for his features on other artists’ tracks, as his nickname suggests. The website for Houston’s 97.9 The Box commemorated his work by referencing his work on tracks like Big Hawk’s “Chillin With My Broad”, C-Note’s “Hold It Down,” Lil O’s “We Ain’t Broke No Mo” and Lil Flip’s “Why Them Hataz Still Mad.” Big T was closely associated with the Screwed Up Click (also known as S.U.C. or Soldiers United 4 Cash), a hip-hop collective based in Houston that has included Houston artists like DJ Screw, Big Hawk, and Lil Flip and is credited for being pioneers of the chopped and screwed movement that came out of the 90s.
Ann Prejean, Big T’s sister, spoke with the Associated Press on Tuesday. She discussed how she and Big T were raised in a musical family with their father being a drummer, and how her brother was involved in the music industry from a young age. “My brother has been in the [music] business since he was 5 years old,” she said. She also noted that Big T leaves behind his wife and sons with his passing.
Although Big T has largely been behind the scenes in recent years, many figures in the Houston hip-hop scene have paid their respects over social media. Those figures include rapper Paul Wall and Screwed up Click’s Mike D and Lil Flip. While Paul Wall made a twitter post that simply read “Rip Big T ”, Lil Flip made a much lengthier post on Instagram in remembrance of his late friend and collaborator. See all their posts below.
WHAT A DAY MY BIG [email protected] AKA #BIGT#THEMILLIONDOLLARHOOKMAN JUST PASSED AWAY DIS SHIT CRAZY MAN… DIS DA 3RD PERSON I LOST WITHIN THE LAST 7 DAYS MAN BIG T ALWAYS CAME THRU 4 ME AND SUNG HOOKS 4 ME!! MAN WE WAS ABOUT TO START ON OUR #LILFLIPANDBIGT ALBUM MAN IM GO MISS U BRO. ME U AND @bigshasta713 WAS ABOUT 2 DO ANOTHER #3HEADEDMONSTER MIXTAPE…. I APPRECIATE U SINGING ON 8 SONGS ON MY #kinglife ALBUM AND SINGING ON ALL MY OTHER ALBUMS AS WELL…. WE GO MISS U BRO…. GLAD WE GOT 2 PERFORM #INTHEHOUSE 2GETHER FOR DA LAST TIME IN #BEAUMONT & IN #WACO MAN IM NOT GO BE ABLE TO SLEEP 4 A FEW DAYS!!! #RIPBIGT MR #WANNABEABALLER
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Rip Big T
— Paul Wall (@paulwallbaby) May 8, 2018
