John Edward Hawkins (November 15, 1969 – May 1, 2006), better known by his stage names Big Hawk and H.A.W.K., was an American rapper from
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
and a founding member of the late
DJ Screw
Robert Earl Davis Jr. (July 20, 1971 – November 16, 2000), better known by his stage name DJ Screw, was an American hip hop DJ based in Houston, Texas, and best known as the creator of the now-famous chopped and screwed DJ technique. He ...
's rap group the
Screwed Up Click
The Screwed Up Click (or S.U.C.) is an American hip hop collective based in Houston, Texas, that was led by DJ Screw. Its most notable members include DJ Screw, Big Hawk, Big Mello, Big Moe, Big Pokey, the Botany Boyz, E.S.G., Fat Pat, Lil ...
.
Life and career
Born John Edward Hawkins in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
on November 15, 1969, he grew up with a younger brother,
Patrick "Fat Pat" Hawkins and two sisters. He started rapping in 1992 when Fat Pat took him to DJ Screw's house, an upcoming mixtape producer and DJ in the southern area of Houston.
In April 2006 Hawk married his longtime girlfriend, Meshah Henderson. The couple had two sons.
In 1994 Hawk,
Fat Pat (rapper), Fat Pat,
DJ Screw
Robert Earl Davis Jr. (July 20, 1971 – November 16, 2000), better known by his stage name DJ Screw, was an American hip hop DJ based in Houston, Texas, and best known as the creator of the now-famous chopped and screwed DJ technique. He ...
,
Lil' Keke
Marcus Lakee Edwards (born March 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Lil' Keke, is an American rapper and original member of the Southern hip hop collective Screwed Up Click.
Biography
Music career
Lil' Keke gained national attention with ...
and Koldjack collaborated to form the group D.E.A. and Dead End Records (named for the dead end block of Martin Luther King Blvd where Hawk grew up in Houston). In late 1998 D.E.A. released an original independent album entitled, ''Screwed For Life'' featuring
Lil' Keke
Marcus Lakee Edwards (born March 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Lil' Keke, is an American rapper and original member of the Southern hip hop collective Screwed Up Click.
Biography
Music career
Lil' Keke gained national attention with ...
,
Big Pokey
Milton Powell (born November 29, 1977), better known by his stage name Big Pokey, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. Pokey is associated with chopped and screwed music, and is one of the original members of the Screwed Up Click.
Rap ca ...
and the rest of the
S.U.C. After the deaths of Hawk's brother (Fat Pat) and DJ Screw and the incarceration of many others SUC members, Hawk's ultimate mission and goal became keeping the "Ghetto Dream" alive. In 1999 Hawk participated in a Southside Playaz compilation album titled ''You Got Us Fuxxed Up'', with Mike D, Claydoe and other members of the S.U.C. Hawk released his solo album, ''
Under Hawk's Wings
''DJ Screw and the Screwed Up Click Presents Under H.A.W.K.'s Wings'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Big Hawk from Houston, Texas. It was released on January 4, 2000 via Dead End. The album peaked at #68 on the US ''Billboard'' Top R ...
'' on Dead End Records in 2000 and had recorded with
Lil' Flip
Wesley Eric Weston Jr. (born March 3, 1981), better known by his stage name Lil' Flip, is an American rapper. He embarked on his musical career as a freestyle and battle rapper before earning a record deal with Suckafree Records in 1999. Lil' F ...
,
Lil' Keke
Marcus Lakee Edwards (born March 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Lil' Keke, is an American rapper and original member of the Southern hip hop collective Screwed Up Click.
Biography
Music career
Lil' Keke gained national attention with ...
,
Big Moe
Kenneth Doniell Moore (August 20, 1974 – October 14, 2007), better known by his stage name Big Moe, was an American rapper from Houston, Texas.
Early life
Kenneth Doniell Moore was born in Houston, Texas on August 20, 1974, and he grew up in ...
,
Z-Ro
Joseph Wayne McVey IV (born January 19, 1977), better known by his stage names Z-Ro and the Mo City Don, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by ''The New York Times'' in 2007.
Early li ...
and was featured on the
Lil' Troy
Troy Lane Birklett (born February 24, 1966), known professionally as Lil' Troy, is an American rapper and songwriter.
Early life
Birklett was born in Houston, Texas. Before his rapping career, Birklett was a drug dealer, who funded his music bu ...
hit "
Wanna Be A Baller".
Big Hawk appeared on numerous mixtapes from artists in the Houston underground rap scene. After Screw's death in 2000, he was the main person responsible for keeping the S.U.C. together, so much so that his nickname was the Five Star General of the Screwed Up Click. He collaborated with
Lil' O
Lil' O (born Ore Magnus Lawson; November 22, 1977 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian-American rapper, raised in Houston, Southwest Houston, Texas. He is an original member of DJ Screw's Screwed Up Click. He was also known as O or Da Fat Rat Wit Da ...
on the smash hit, "Back Back" Next, he partnered with Game Face Records in 2002 and released his first album under his label Ghetto Dreams Entertainment, self-titled, "HAWK". With the hit song, "U Already Know", the album charted the Billboard's list of top R&B and Rap Albums at no. 45. It was at Game Face Records where Hawk met and clicked with a young up and coming group called the GritBoyz and an artist named Starchy Archy. Hawk and Ghetto Dreams Ent. teamed up with Presidential Records in 2003 to release "A Bad Azz Mix Tape Vol. II." A year later he and
Lil' Keke
Marcus Lakee Edwards (born March 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Lil' Keke, is an American rapper and original member of the Southern hip hop collective Screwed Up Click.
Biography
Music career
Lil' Keke gained national attention with ...
teamed up to release "Wreckin 2K4" with Presidential Records as well. It was around this time when the original S.U.C. members, along with M.J. (of Southside Studios) started collaborating on a group/compilation album titled "The Takeover". Trae tha Truth made an album dedicated to BIG HAWK called ''Life Goes On.''
Hawk was featured on the popular single "Swang" by
Trae Trae is a given name.
Notable people with the name "Trae" include
*Trae Bell-Haynes (born 1995), Canadian basketball player
*Trae Coyle (born 2001), English footballer
*Trae Crowder (born 1986), American comedian
*Trae Elston (born 1994), Americ ...
that included a tribute to Fat Pat in 2005. In 2006, Hawk, along with
Clint Dempsey
Clinton Drew Dempsey (; born March 9, 1983) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward and midfielder. During his career, he played in the Premier League for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur and in Major League Soccer ...
of the U.S. National Soccer team recorded a song for
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
's "Joga Bonito" World Cup soccer promotion called "Don't Tread". He was part of
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
's
Yahoo!
Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Man ...
"Houston Mic Pass" with
Lil' Flip
Wesley Eric Weston Jr. (born March 3, 1981), better known by his stage name Lil' Flip, is an American rapper. He embarked on his musical career as a freestyle and battle rapper before earning a record deal with Suckafree Records in 1999. Lil' F ...
,
Chamillionaire
Hakeem Temidayo Seriki (born November 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Chamillionaire (), is an American rapper. He was the founder and an original member of The Color Changin' Click from 2001 until the group split in 2005. He began his ...
,
Trae Trae is a given name.
Notable people with the name "Trae" include
*Trae Bell-Haynes (born 1995), Canadian basketball player
*Trae Coyle (born 2001), English footballer
*Trae Crowder (born 1986), American comedian
*Trae Elston (born 1994), Americ ...
,
Chingo Bling
Pedro Herrera III (born August 23, 1979 in Houston, Texas), better known by his stage name Chingo Bling, is an American rapper, producer, and comedian of Mexican descent.
Early life and education
Chingo attended Peddie School, a private college ...
,
Bun B
Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with ...
, Short Dawg, Magno and
Mike D
Michael Louis Diamond (born November 20, 1965), better known as Mike D, is an American rapper, musician, and music producer. He is best known as a founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys.
Early life
Diamond was born in New York City ...
. Since his death, Hawk has been featured on several tracks including Lil O's "I Do" single, "Down In Texas" off of the 2008
A.B.N. album ''It Is What It Is'', and Big Unk's "I'ma Beast" to name a few.
On November 11, 2011, two posthumous singles were released called "Somebody Who Loves You" and "Praise God."
Death
On May 1, 2006, eight years after his younger brother Fat Pat was murdered, Hawkins was shot dead in Houston.
He had arrived early at a house on Redfern Drive to play
dominoes
Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...
with a friend, and was alone at the time when an unknown assailant shot him multiple times. Hawkins was 36 years old.
His murder remains unsolved.
Fellow Houston rapper
Bun B
Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with ...
, in an interview with the ''
Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...
'', said about Hawkins: "There were no kinks in this man's moral armor, because he was a rapper. There will be people who will take his death the wrong way, but he was a peaceful guy and a family man who had no beefs with anybody".
Discography
Studio albums
Mixtapes
*2004: ''A Bad Azz Mix Tape Vol. II.''
*2005: ''The Incredible Hawk Undaground Volume 1''
*2005: ''The Incredible Hawk Undaground Volume 2''
*2006: ''Since the Gray Tapes, Vol. 4''
*2007: ''Terrible Texas Dub K Six''
Guest appearances
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
The
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
are annual awards presented by
The Recording Academy
The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...
to recognize outstanding achievement in the mainly English-language
music industry
The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...
.
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2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, rowspan="2", "
Sicko Mode"
,
Best Rap Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for quality rap performances. It was first presented at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989 and again at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, after which p ...
,
, style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2",
, -
,
Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several ...
,
See also
*
Houston hip hop
Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memph ...
*
List of murdered hip hop musicians
This is a list of rappers and hip hop musicians murdered since 1987.
Two studies in the mid-2010s concluded that murder was the cause of 51.5% of hip hop musician deaths. The average age of death is between 25–30 years of age. Hip hop has a ...
*
List of unsolved murders
These lists of unsolved murders include notable cases where victims were murdered in unknown circumstances.
* List of unsolved murders (before 1900)
* List of unsolved murders (1900–1979)
* List of unsolved murders (1980–1999)
* List of unsol ...
References
External links
H.A.W.K.at
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawk, Big
1969 births
2006 deaths
2006 murders in the United States
African-American male rappers
American male rappers
Deaths by firearm in Texas
Gangsta rappers
Male murder victims
Murdered African-American people
People murdered in Texas
Rappers from Houston
Screwed Up Click members
Underground rappers
Unsolved murders in the United States
20th-century American male musicians
20th-century African-American musicians
21st-century African-American people