Big Scarr, the Memphis rapper known for his breakout single “Make a Play,” has died, TMZ and Fox13 Memphis report. He was pronounced dead on Thursday (December 22) by local police, who declined to share his cause of death, stating the investigation is still ongoing. He was 22 years old.
Big Scarr was born Alexander Woods, and he grew up in the Magnolia neighborhood of South Memphis, where he lived with his grandmother until he was 13. After she died from lung cancer, he moved in with his father. As a teenager, Scarr was in a car accident that left him with multiple scars on his face; the incident inspired his stage name. In 2020, Scarr was shot and had to undergo surgery to have his appendix removed as a result of the wound.
Scarr began rapping after a close friend encouraged him to give it a try. It was a wise suggestion: Scarr’s first single “Make a Play” went viral, and the rapper was eventually signed by Gucci Mane to his Atlantic Records imprint, the New 1017 Records. “He’s my momma’s favorite rapper,” Scarr once said of Gucci Mane. “We used to ride around in the car listening to him. It’s crazy I’m signed to him now.”
Big Scarr released his debut mixtape, Big Grim Reaper, in April 2021. He shared a deluxe edition of the mixtape, Big Grim Reaper: The Return, earlier this year. He also featured on several New 1017 compilations, including So Icy Summer and the most recent installment, So Icy Boyz: The Finale. Among Big Scarr’s most notable songs are “I Would Keep Goin,” “Endzone,” and the gold-certified “SoIcyBoyz 2,” which he made with Foogiano, the venerated producer Tay Keith, and his cousin Pooh Shiesty.
Earlier this year, Scarr was named in XXL’s Freshman Class, alongside Babyface Ray, Doechii, Nardo Wick, BabyTron, SoFaygo, and others. He also completed his first-ever headlining tour. He was scheduled to go on tour with Key Glock in 2023.
Gucci Mane, after learning of his collaborator and signee’s death, wrote, “This hurt I’m a miss you @bigscarr .” The rapper has also been memorialized by Memphis artists Key Glock, Tay Keith, and Duke Deuce, as well as Fat Trel, former National Football League star Le’Veon Bell, and others.
