Friends of Rich Homie Quan—including several high-profile artists and music personalities—have reported that the influential Atlanta rapper passed away today from a suspected drug overdose.

Dequantes Lamar, known professionally as Rich Homie Quan, pioneered a melodic, emotional, half-sung-half-rapped style that foreshadowed the sing-song cadences dominating mainstream and street rap throughout the 2010s and today. 

He began his music career in 2010 after serving a 15-month sentence for burglary. His single “Type of Way” first charted on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 2013. His collaborations with fellow Atlanta rapper Young Thug were as beloved by fans as they were fleeting, most notably when they appeared alongside Birdman as members of the group Rich Gang.

During a 2015 Noisey interview, Quan explained that he taught himself everything he knew as an artist by listening to those before him. “I’ve never taken vocal lessons, no vocal coach, no nothing,” he said. “I listen to a lot of old music. I like those old tunes. That’s why I think a lot of my music is so soulful. And painful.”

A life packed with struggle undoubtedly gave way to painful music. He described losing mentors and friends to murder, and his father was shot four times during a robbery in Atlanta back in 2014—just a few years into Quan’s career.

In 2017, Rich Homie Quan appeared on VICE’s intimate interview show The Therapist, where he discussed battling the “bad spirits” of his life.

“I just want to let go of my old ego that may have caused me to miss opportunities,” he said. “Spirit defines my career. Ego has got me in a lot of trouble. Every time, trouble has been ego… It’s not like I’m depressed. I’m proud of my past.”

“When I got locked up, I felt guilty of not knowing what I wanted in life,” he continued. “God set me down to slow me down. God works in mysterious ways. Even when we think he’s not working, he’s working. Even when we think he’s not teaching, he’s showing us a lesson somehow.”