Frederick Thomas (February 22, 1985 – April 23, 2020), known as Fred the Godson, was an rapper from

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York. At his death in April 2020, he became one of the most notable New Yorkers to have died of COVID-19 complications early in the pandemic. Still his legacy continues to live though his music, God Is The Greatest.

Early life

Frederick Thomas was born on February 22, 1985 and grew up in

The Bronx, New York City The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New York ...

. He gained an early nickname of "Big Bronx". He started freestyling in the early 2000s.

Career

Thomas's music was characterized by his husky voice, humorous

wordplay Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phon ...

, and creative rhymes. In the early-2010s, he released two mixtapes; his debut was ''Armageddon'' in 2010, featuring samples of

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

, Busta Rhymes and Cam'ron. His second release, ''City of God'', was one of a series for DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz, and featuring

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 201 ...

and

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...

. In 2011, '' XXL'' included him in its annual Freshman class of up-and-comers. Between 2011 and 2020, Thomas released music and performed regularly, guest DJ-ing on New York radio station based in Hudson

Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared ser ...

, and collaborated with artists including Pusha T,

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

, Cam'ron, and Raekwon, as well as releasing the

answer song An answer song, response song or answer record, is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer so ...

, "Monique's Room". He released two additional mixtapes in 2020, ''Training Day'' in January with

Jay Pharoah Jared Antonio Farrow (born October 14, 1987), better known by his stage name Jay Pharoah, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and impressionist. Pharoah was a cast member on NBC's sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2010 to 201 ...

, and ''Payback'', released on March 20, 2020, which would be his last release before his death from COVID-19 one month later.

Personal life

Thomas was married to LeeAnn Jemmott; they had two daughters. Thomas was reported to be suffering from acute asthma and kidney problems, after contracting

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state) The first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. state of New York during the pandemic was confirmed on March 1, 2020, and the state quickly became an epicenter of the pandemic, with a record 12,274 new cases reported on April 4 and approximately 29,00 ...

, and by April 6, 2020, his fever had abated in hospital, according to his publicist and his Instagram account. His wife told media on April 9 that she was concerned he was going to die, but the next day, said he was "going to make it", and was being weaned from a

ventilator A ventilator is a piece of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently. Ventilators ...

. Thomas died at Montefiore Medical Center on April 23, 2020, due to complications of COVID-19. He was 35.

Legacy

On February 22, 2021, what would've been his 36th birthday,

Rubén Díaz Jr. Rubén Díaz Jr. (born April 26, 1973) is an American politician who served as the 13th borough president of The Bronx in New York City from 2009 to 2021. He was elected in April 2009 and reelected in 2013 and 2017. He previously served in the ...

honored Fred by giving him his own street co-name on the block of his childhood home that he grew up in. Special appearances were made by

Sway Calloway Sway Calloway is an American journalist, radio personality, executive producer and former rapper. Known as Sway, he is known for hosting music, news, and culture programming. He was the co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show ''The Wake U ...

, Fat Joe,

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide ...

, Jaquae, Mysonne and

Justina Valentine Justina Valentine is an American television host, rapper and singer from Passaic County, New Jersey, best known for her singles "Candy Land" featuring rapper Fetty Wap, "All The Way" and "Unbelievable". She is also known as a cast member on the ...

Discography

*''Armageddon'' (2010) *''City of God'' (2011) *''Gordo Frederico'' (2012) *''Contraband'' (2013) *''Fat Boy Fresh'' (2014) *''Contraband II'' (2016) *''Gordo'' (2017) *''Gorilla Glue'' (2019) (with Joell Ortiz and The Heatmakerz) *''God Level'' (2019) *''Training Day'' (2020) (with

) *''Payback'' (2020) *''Ascension'' (2021) (posthumous)

References

External links

*
Obituary
on

N-TV n-tv is a German free-to-air television news channel owned by the Bertelsmann Media's RTL Group. n-tv broadcasts news and weather every hour and half-hour in the morning. It also broadcasts magazine shows and documentaries. History n-tv beg ...

(in German)
Fred the Godson
on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fred the Godson 1985 births 2020 deaths DJs from New York City African-American male rappers Rappers from the Bronx African-American DJs East Coast hip hop musicians 21st-century American male musicians American hip hop DJs Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state) 21st-century African-American musicians