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 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 i ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

on August 20, 1974, and he grew up in southeast

. In 1992 he graduated from Yates High School, where he was a football star.

Career

Originating from Houston, Texas, and as one of the founding members of the "Original Screwed Up Click," Big Moe started out in music by freestyling on

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 ...

mixtapes A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

like many of his Houston peers before being signed to Wreckshop Records.Big Moe
Koch Records websitePeralta, Eyder.

" ''

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 i ...

''. October 16, 2007. Retrieved on September 20, 2009. Wreckshop Records released Big Moe's debut album, '' City of Syrup'' in (2000); the title was a nod to Houston's reputation for drinking codeine-laced syrup, which Moe pours from a

Styrofoam Styrofoam is a trademarked brand of closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), commonly called "Blue Board", manufactured as foam continuous building insulation board used in walls, roofs, and foundations as thermal insulation and water barrie ...

cup on the album's cover. The album featured the single "Mann!", which Moe intended to be the South Side's answer to

Black Rob Robert Ross (June 8, 1968 – April 17, 2021), known professionally as Black Rob, was an American rapper who was signed to Bad Boy Records. He was best known for his 1999 single " Whoa!", which peaked at number 43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. ...

's East Coast hit "Whoa!" In 2002, Moe returned with his second album, '' Purple World''. This release showcased a "who's who" of Houston vocalists and two versions of Moe's breakthrough single, "Purple Stuff." The ''

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. It is an adaptation of the 1964 novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' by Roald Dahl. The film ...

''-themed video for "Purple Stuff" was played on MTV, and the album peaked at No. 3 on '' Billboard''s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Big Moe's third and last album, ''Moe Life'', was issued in 2003, including the commercially successful single "Just a Dog." A posthumous album entitled ''Unfinished Business'' was released on March 18, 2008, via Wreckshop Records and Koch Records. In 2009 his album ''City of Syrup'' was named number 25 on houstonpress.com's list of the 25 Best Houston Hip-Hop Albums.

Death

Moe died on October 14, 2007 at 33 years old, after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

one week earlier that left him in a coma.DJs – Rapper Big Moe Dies
contactmusic.com, Oct. 15, 2007

Discography

Studio albums

Guest appearances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Moe 1974 births 2007 deaths African-American male rappers American male rappers Drug-related deaths in Texas MNRK Music Group artists Gangsta rappers Place of death missing Priority Records artists Rappers from Houston Screwed Up Click members Southern hip hop musicians Underground rappers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people