Ryan "Woodie" Wood, a popular Northern California Norteno rapper, died Wednesday, March 7, 2007.
It seems impossible to find any official source of information his death. But the consensus seems to be that Woodie, despondent over the recent death of his girl friend whom he was to marry, shot himself. Although some speculate that his death was a gang killing set up to look like a suicide, most feel otherwise.
Ryan Mitchell Wood (20 November 1975 - 7 March 2007), better known by his stage name Woodie, was an American rapper and producer from Antioch, California. In 1997, he started his own record company called East Co. Co. Records. The next year, Ryan completed work on his debut solo album titled Yoc Influenced. Wood together with executive producer D-Small, released their record company's first compilation album, Northen Expozure Vol. 1 in 1999. The song "Norte Sidin" was the most popular track from the album.
Wood became immersed in gang life at a very young age and joined the Norteños street gang when only 14 years old. He served a one year prison sentence for assault with a deadly weapon. He served his prison sentence at Folsom State Prison.
Wood released his second studio album, Demonz in My Sleep, in 2001, on Koch Records.
Two years before he died under mysterious circumstances in 2007, the famed rapper Ryan “Woodie” Wood released a song where he requested to be laid to rest in Antioch, his hometown.
“When I die just let my body lie in peace/Beneath the earth and sky of Antioch on East 18th,” Wood raps on the song. Last August, his friends honored that request, installing a memorial marker at Holy Cross Ceremony in Antioch. While it didn’t contain his remains, the site became a place for his friends and loved ones to feel connected to Wood.
“That’s where he wanted to be,” said Antioch rapper Big Tone, a close friend of Wood’s, who declined to give his real name. “It was a place for us to go and pay our tribute to him out here.”
That is, until April 20, when the memory stone turned up missing, apparently dug up and stolen during the night. His friends and fans have reacted with shock and sadness, and now they are raising money for what they hope is a more permanent replacement.
Wood died of a self inflected gunshot wound to the head on March 7, 2007 in Florence, Oregon. He was 32 years old.
......................
Fed up with a life of gang-related violence and hopelessness, Woodie dedicated himself to rap music and quickly rose through the ranks of the Cali Bay Area’s underground scene, eventually signing to Koch Records. Hailing from Antioch, CA, Woodie (born Ryan Wood) grew up in an environment filled with gangs, drugs, violence, and crime. Life was rough. For example, Woodie’s friend, Carlos “Blackbird” Ramirez, was shot to death by local police, another close friend, Gabriel “Snoop” Robinson, was locked up in Folsom Prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and Woodie himself had run-ins with the law, nearly charged with attempted murder. After all this drama, Woodie turned to the rap game, recording Yoc Influenced, his debut release. The record became a local sensation, selling thousands of copies throughout the Bay Area thanks to the Northern Cali anthem “Norte Sidin’.” Woodie then returned to the studio with executive producer D-Small to record the East Co Co compilation Northern Expozure, Vol. 1. The record showcased not only Woodie’s lyrical skills but also his production talents. Soon, underground gangsta rap magazine Murder Dog was praising his work, introducing Woodie to a national audience. This underground success culminated with Woodie being offered a record deal with Koch, a large, nationally distributed label with plenty of money and clout. Woodie’s first release for Koch, Demonz in My Sleep (2001), again showcased both his skills as an MC and as a producer — he produces all but three of the album’s songs.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/06/01/beyond-disrespectful-iconic-late-antioch-rapper-woodies-headstone-disappears/
It seems impossible to find any official source of information his death. But the consensus seems to be that Woodie, despondent over the recent death of his girl friend whom he was to marry, shot himself. Although some speculate that his death was a gang killing set up to look like a suicide, most feel otherwise.
Ryan Mitchell Wood (20 November 1975 - 7 March 2007), better known by his stage name Woodie, was an American rapper and producer from Antioch, California. In 1997, he started his own record company called East Co. Co. Records. The next year, Ryan completed work on his debut solo album titled Yoc Influenced. Wood together with executive producer D-Small, released their record company's first compilation album, Northen Expozure Vol. 1 in 1999. The song "Norte Sidin" was the most popular track from the album.
Wood became immersed in gang life at a very young age and joined the Norteños street gang when only 14 years old. He served a one year prison sentence for assault with a deadly weapon. He served his prison sentence at Folsom State Prison.
Wood released his second studio album, Demonz in My Sleep, in 2001, on Koch Records.
Two years before he died under mysterious circumstances in 2007, the famed rapper Ryan “Woodie” Wood released a song where he requested to be laid to rest in Antioch, his hometown.
“When I die just let my body lie in peace/Beneath the earth and sky of Antioch on East 18th,” Wood raps on the song. Last August, his friends honored that request, installing a memorial marker at Holy Cross Ceremony in Antioch. While it didn’t contain his remains, the site became a place for his friends and loved ones to feel connected to Wood.
“That’s where he wanted to be,” said Antioch rapper Big Tone, a close friend of Wood’s, who declined to give his real name. “It was a place for us to go and pay our tribute to him out here.”
That is, until April 20, when the memory stone turned up missing, apparently dug up and stolen during the night. His friends and fans have reacted with shock and sadness, and now they are raising money for what they hope is a more permanent replacement.
Wood died of a self inflected gunshot wound to the head on March 7, 2007 in Florence, Oregon. He was 32 years old.
......................
Fed up with a life of gang-related violence and hopelessness, Woodie dedicated himself to rap music and quickly rose through the ranks of the Cali Bay Area’s underground scene, eventually signing to Koch Records. Hailing from Antioch, CA, Woodie (born Ryan Wood) grew up in an environment filled with gangs, drugs, violence, and crime. Life was rough. For example, Woodie’s friend, Carlos “Blackbird” Ramirez, was shot to death by local police, another close friend, Gabriel “Snoop” Robinson, was locked up in Folsom Prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and Woodie himself had run-ins with the law, nearly charged with attempted murder. After all this drama, Woodie turned to the rap game, recording Yoc Influenced, his debut release. The record became a local sensation, selling thousands of copies throughout the Bay Area thanks to the Northern Cali anthem “Norte Sidin’.” Woodie then returned to the studio with executive producer D-Small to record the East Co Co compilation Northern Expozure, Vol. 1. The record showcased not only Woodie’s lyrical skills but also his production talents. Soon, underground gangsta rap magazine Murder Dog was praising his work, introducing Woodie to a national audience. This underground success culminated with Woodie being offered a record deal with Koch, a large, nationally distributed label with plenty of money and clout. Woodie’s first release for Koch, Demonz in My Sleep (2001), again showcased both his skills as an MC and as a producer — he produces all but three of the album’s songs.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/06/01/beyond-disrespectful-iconic-late-antioch-rapper-woodies-headstone-disappears/
Ryan "Woodie" Wood, a popular Northern California Norteno rapper, died Wednesday, March 7, 2007.
It seems impossible to find any official source of information his death. But the consensus seems to be that Woodie, despondent over the recent death of his girl friend whom he was to marry, shot himself. Although some speculate that his death was a gang killing set up to look like a suicide, most feel otherwise.
Ryan Mitchell Wood (20 November 1975 - 7 March 2007), better known by his stage name Woodie, was an American rapper and producer from Antioch, California. In 1997, he started his own record company called East Co. Co. Records. The next year, Ryan completed work on his debut solo album titled Yoc Influenced. Wood together with executive producer D-Small, released their record company's first compilation album, Northen Expozure Vol. 1 in 1999. The song "Norte Sidin" was the most popular track from the album.
Wood became immersed in gang life at a very young age and joined the Norteños street gang when only 14 years old. He served a one year prison sentence for assault with a deadly weapon. He served his prison sentence at Folsom State Prison.
Wood released his second studio album, Demonz in My Sleep, in 2001, on Koch Records.
Two years before he died under mysterious circumstances in 2007, the famed rapper Ryan “Woodie” Wood released a song where he requested to be laid to rest in Antioch, his hometown.
“When I die just let my body lie in peace/Beneath the earth and sky of Antioch on East 18th,” Wood raps on the song. Last August, his friends honored that request, installing a memorial marker at Holy Cross Ceremony in Antioch. While it didn’t contain his remains, the site became a place for his friends and loved ones to feel connected to Wood.
“That’s where he wanted to be,” said Antioch rapper Big Tone, a close friend of Wood’s, who declined to give his real name. “It was a place for us to go and pay our tribute to him out here.”
That is, until April 20, when the memory stone turned up missing, apparently dug up and stolen during the night. His friends and fans have reacted with shock and sadness, and now they are raising money for what they hope is a more permanent replacement.
Wood died of a self inflected gunshot wound to the head on March 7, 2007 in Florence, Oregon. He was 32 years old.
......................
Fed up with a life of gang-related violence and hopelessness, Woodie dedicated himself to rap music and quickly rose through the ranks of the Cali Bay Area’s underground scene, eventually signing to Koch Records. Hailing from Antioch, CA, Woodie (born Ryan Wood) grew up in an environment filled with gangs, drugs, violence, and crime. Life was rough. For example, Woodie’s friend, Carlos “Blackbird” Ramirez, was shot to death by local police, another close friend, Gabriel “Snoop” Robinson, was locked up in Folsom Prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and Woodie himself had run-ins with the law, nearly charged with attempted murder. After all this drama, Woodie turned to the rap game, recording Yoc Influenced, his debut release. The record became a local sensation, selling thousands of copies throughout the Bay Area thanks to the Northern Cali anthem “Norte Sidin’.” Woodie then returned to the studio with executive producer D-Small to record the East Co Co compilation Northern Expozure, Vol. 1. The record showcased not only Woodie’s lyrical skills but also his production talents. Soon, underground gangsta rap magazine Murder Dog was praising his work, introducing Woodie to a national audience. This underground success culminated with Woodie being offered a record deal with Koch, a large, nationally distributed label with plenty of money and clout. Woodie’s first release for Koch, Demonz in My Sleep (2001), again showcased both his skills as an MC and as a producer — he produces all but three of the album’s songs.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/06/01/beyond-disrespectful-iconic-late-antioch-rapper-woodies-headstone-disappears/
It seems impossible to find any official source of information his death. But the consensus seems to be that Woodie, despondent over the recent death of his girl friend whom he was to marry, shot himself. Although some speculate that his death was a gang killing set up to look like a suicide, most feel otherwise.
Ryan Mitchell Wood (20 November 1975 - 7 March 2007), better known by his stage name Woodie, was an American rapper and producer from Antioch, California. In 1997, he started his own record company called East Co. Co. Records. The next year, Ryan completed work on his debut solo album titled Yoc Influenced. Wood together with executive producer D-Small, released their record company's first compilation album, Northen Expozure Vol. 1 in 1999. The song "Norte Sidin" was the most popular track from the album.
Wood became immersed in gang life at a very young age and joined the Norteños street gang when only 14 years old. He served a one year prison sentence for assault with a deadly weapon. He served his prison sentence at Folsom State Prison.
Wood released his second studio album, Demonz in My Sleep, in 2001, on Koch Records.
Two years before he died under mysterious circumstances in 2007, the famed rapper Ryan “Woodie” Wood released a song where he requested to be laid to rest in Antioch, his hometown.
“When I die just let my body lie in peace/Beneath the earth and sky of Antioch on East 18th,” Wood raps on the song. Last August, his friends honored that request, installing a memorial marker at Holy Cross Ceremony in Antioch. While it didn’t contain his remains, the site became a place for his friends and loved ones to feel connected to Wood.
“That’s where he wanted to be,” said Antioch rapper Big Tone, a close friend of Wood’s, who declined to give his real name. “It was a place for us to go and pay our tribute to him out here.”
That is, until April 20, when the memory stone turned up missing, apparently dug up and stolen during the night. His friends and fans have reacted with shock and sadness, and now they are raising money for what they hope is a more permanent replacement.
Wood died of a self inflected gunshot wound to the head on March 7, 2007 in Florence, Oregon. He was 32 years old.
......................
Fed up with a life of gang-related violence and hopelessness, Woodie dedicated himself to rap music and quickly rose through the ranks of the Cali Bay Area’s underground scene, eventually signing to Koch Records. Hailing from Antioch, CA, Woodie (born Ryan Wood) grew up in an environment filled with gangs, drugs, violence, and crime. Life was rough. For example, Woodie’s friend, Carlos “Blackbird” Ramirez, was shot to death by local police, another close friend, Gabriel “Snoop” Robinson, was locked up in Folsom Prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and Woodie himself had run-ins with the law, nearly charged with attempted murder. After all this drama, Woodie turned to the rap game, recording Yoc Influenced, his debut release. The record became a local sensation, selling thousands of copies throughout the Bay Area thanks to the Northern Cali anthem “Norte Sidin’.” Woodie then returned to the studio with executive producer D-Small to record the East Co Co compilation Northern Expozure, Vol. 1. The record showcased not only Woodie’s lyrical skills but also his production talents. Soon, underground gangsta rap magazine Murder Dog was praising his work, introducing Woodie to a national audience. This underground success culminated with Woodie being offered a record deal with Koch, a large, nationally distributed label with plenty of money and clout. Woodie’s first release for Koch, Demonz in My Sleep (2001), again showcased both his skills as an MC and as a producer — he produces all but three of the album’s songs.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/06/01/beyond-disrespectful-iconic-late-antioch-rapper-woodies-headstone-disappears/
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