After the family of DJ Bigga Rankin announced his passing on Monday, tributes flooded social media from the music industry and the Southern rap and hip-hop artists whose careers he helped launch and promote.
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– After the family of DJ Bigga Rankin announced his passing on Monday, tributes flooded social media from the music industry and the Southern rap and hip-hop artists whose careers he helped launch and promote. Ross, a rapper and music executive, credited Bigga Rankin for his support early in Ross’ career. He “embraced me from day one,” Ross wrote.
Jacksonville rapper Young Cash made multiple posts about Bigga’s passing and reflected on a recent conversation he had with him. Bigga Rankin, born Billy Plummer, was widely regarded as a godfather of Southern hip-hop and had spent more than three decades in the music business, launching and promoting Southern rap stars like Ross and T.I. He also helped promote and amplify the careers of Southern rappers including Plies, Jeezy, Yo Gotti, B.o.
B. and Gucci Mane, and opened the Cool Runnings nightclub in Jacksonville in 1990. , describing how he was first introduced to the Jacksonville DJ, and how they were “locked in ever since. ”Torence Hatch, better known by his rapper stage name Boosie, also credited Bigga Rankin for helping launch his career, calling the beloved longtime community advocate “just a legend.
” In an interview with News4JAX, Plummer reflected on his 30-year career, his Jacksonville roots and his role as A&R at Think It’s a Game Records and vice president of the Hittmenn DJs.
‘Life is music’: Legendary DJ Bigga Rankin talks 30 years in the music industry, Jacksonville roots, what drives him “I’m always helping people...my mama always told me to give without expecting nothing back... I feel like I was real because I’m always giving,” Plummer said. Plummer also produced the local Diamond Awards for many years and frequently spoke about mentoring younger artists and giving back to his community.
He said that he planned to scale back touring and focus more on family and charitable work, including back-to-school drives. He had publicly discussed recent health struggles, saying he had battled COVID-19 and later lost a kidney, requiring dialysis. The statement from Plummer’s said funeral arrangements and plans for a celebration of life will be shared when they are available. This morning, during the Mayor’s budget address, I learned that my friend Bigga Rankin had passed away.
Jacksonville has lost more than a music icon—we have lost one of the architects of our culture. This loss is deeply personal for me. Long before I became a member of the Jacksonville City Council, I was a young on-air personality at Hot 101.5. Bigga Rankin was one of the first people to believe in me.
He trusted me to host his live remotes from Cool Runnings on Florida Avenue and later at Club Carousel. Like so many others, I am part of his legacy because he invested in me before the world knew my name. Earlier this year, I had the privilege of sponsoring a Jacksonville City Council Resolution honoring Bigga’s extraordinary life, his service to our community, and the nearly forty-year legacy of Cool Runnings DJs.
The resolution passed unanimously in April, and I was looking forward to presenting it to him on August 8th for his birthday. The blessing inside today’s heartbreak is that Bigga knew. We talked throughout the process. He knew his city paused to honor him.
He knew we recognized what he had built. He knew we were grateful. Too often, our loudest praise comes after life is silenced. Bigga heard ours while he was still here.
He came to us from Jamaica, but he became a son of Jacksonville. He helped to shape the sound of Southern hip-hop and this city. His legacy lives in every artist he believed in, every career he helped launch, every young person he encouraged, and every life he touched. We didn’t simply lose an icon today.
We lost part of Jacksonville’s heartbeat. I will forever remember my friend. May he rest in power. Hailing from Detroit, Jonathan is excited to start his media career at News4JAX in November 2023. He is passionate about telling stories that matter to the community and he is honored to serve Jacksonville.
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