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What a sad story!
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Jan 08, 2020
Who is Rae Sremmurd? Getting their name from 'Ear Drummers' spelled backwards, Rae Sremmurd is a rap duo originally from Mississippi and comprised of brothers Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee.
The latter, of course, has gone on to have greater fame in a solo career, as he was featured in French Montana's 2017 hit single, "Unforgettable." Their career has been going strong since 2013, when they signed to Mill Will Made It's EarDrummers label imprint.
But even though they grew up without their birth father around, they — along with their younger brother, Michael — were raised by both their mother and their stepfather. Now, however, their family has been wracked by tragedy. Let's look at what we know about this latest development.
1. Who is Rae Sreummurd? Their breakthrough song was called "No Type."
Released in 2014, Rae Sreummurd's "No Type" surpassed the success of their previous single, "No Flex Zone." It hit No. 16 on the Billboard charts, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
This helped propel the success of their debut album, SremmLife, which was released in 2015. The duo, both individually and collectively, has been a success story ever since.
2. Their stepfather was shot to death in Mississippi.
On Monday, January 6, 2020, police were dispatched to the home where Floyd Sullivan, 62, resided with Rae Sreummurd's mother, Bernadette. Sullivan, who'd raised the duo since they were young, also had a son named Michael with their mother, and had a son named Floyd Jr. from a previous relationship.
Sullivan's body was found in Tupelo, Mississippi, with what they call "a couple of gunshot wounds."
3. Their half-brother, Michael, has been held in connection with the shooting.
19-year-old Michael Sullivan, the half-brother of Rae Sremmurd, has been held in a psychiatric hold in connection with the shooting. Police also say that there are no other 'persons of interest.'
As of this writing, the younger Sullivan has not been officially charged with the shooting of his father.
4. Rae Sreummurd's representative issued an official statement on behalf of the duo.
"At this time on behalf of Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee, we’d like to continue to keep the family in our prayers at such a delicate time. Both Slim and Swae Lee are deeply saddened by the death of their step father but are thankful for the love and support from him throughout the years of their upbringing. Though his untimely death has come at such a surprise, we ask that the public just keep the family in great prayer and respect their privacy at this time," said Juel Stanley, the publicist for Rae Sreummurd, in an official statement about their stepfather's murder.
5. As of this writing, Slim Jxmmi hasn't commented on the matter.
At the moment, Slim Jxmmi has remained relatively mum on the matter surrounding his family, and hasn't posted anything on any social media platform about his stepfather's murder.
6. However, Swae Lee has posted two tweets that seem to reference the tragedy.
While Swae Lee hasn't specifically addressed the tragedy, he did post two tweets that many fans think are a reference to the tragedy. You can check them out below.
Our thoughts are with the Sullivan family, and Rae Sreummurd, during what is obviously a difficult time.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.