French Montana has shared some memories of his late friend and Coke Boy rapper Chinx and believes he would be a Top 5 MC if he were alive today.
Chinx (real name Lionel Pickens) was shot dead in a 2015 drive-by shooting in Queens, New York. He was 31 years old. In the latest episode of WE tv Hip Hop Murderswhich aired on Thanksgiving Day Thursday (November 24), French recalled meeting Chinx for the first time.
“I met Chinx in Yonkers. He was always hanging around the studio; he was insanely humble, calm, [he] I used to just sit and watch,” French told host Van Lathan. “Then I started listening to his music and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s got something.'”
“He had just come home from prison, he was trying to get into music and he was serious,” added French Montana, before explaining what made Chinx (formerly Chinx Drugs) special. “He loved music – that was what he and I had most in common. Music was our therapy.
French praised his work ethic, saying Chinx “knew what it took,” while explaining that he was very good at “switching his operations” and “knew how to adapt.”
French then said that he felt Chinx was actually a better rapper than he was before he ranked his friend among the best in hip hop. “He was ten times better than me,” he said. “Because he saw all my mistakes. He was like a better version. Man, if Chinx was alive Chinx would be top 5.”
Two gunmen were arrested in the 2015 killing of Chinx. According to New York City Police Department Lieutenant Richard Rudolph, Quincy Homere and Jamar Hill allegedly killed Chinx over an argument that arose when Chinx and Homere were both imprisoned on Rikers Island in 2009.
In December 2017, just over two years after Chinx’s death, Homere and Hill were arrested and charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree criminal weapons possession.
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Next month, Chinx’s long-awaited posthumous project will be released Chinx Drugz 6.
Corresponding billboardThe late rapper’s new mixtape is set to hit streaming services on December 2, just two days before his 39th birthday.
CD6 will feature a number of high profile guests including Migos stars Quavo and Offset and Griselda’s Benny The Butcher and Chinx’s brother JFK WAXX. It will be Chinx’s first posthumous project since 2016 legends never die.
December is gearing up to be a special month for Chinx fans as he will also have a guest appearance on French Montana’s upcoming mixtape Coke Boys 6: Money Heist Edition – the latest installment in the announced series that fueled Chinx’s rise to stardom.