BeatKing, a Houston rapper known for the viral TikTok song “Then Leave,” dies at age 39

AUSTIN, Texas — Houston rapper BeatKing, whose booming voice and eccentric songs made him famous in nightclubs and on social media, has died, his manager said Friday. He was 39.

The rapper, whose name was Justin Riley, died Thursday after passing out during a recording session, Tasha Felder told The Associated Press. Felder, his manager, said Riley was taken to a hospital and suffered a pulmonary embolism.

“His daughters were with him the whole time,” Felder said. “It's really sad, we loved him so much.”

BeatKing, whose club music anthems earned him the moniker Club Godzilla, scored his biggest hit in 2020 when his song “Then Leave” went viral on social media and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. He also scored hits with the songs “Crush” and “Thick.” His latest album, “Never Leave Houston on a Sunday,” was released last month.

Known for his humorous, ribald lyrics, he broke into the Houston music scene in 2010 with “Kings of the Club,” reaching a younger generation of Houstonians who weren't yet familiar with the city's famous slower music style of The Screwed Up Click and Swisha House.

As a rapper or producer, BeatKing worked with major artists such as 2 Chainz, Bun B, T-Pain, and Ludacris. Although BeatKing didn't achieve the national fame of fellow Houstonians like Travis Scott and Megan Thee Stallion, he became famous across the South among fans who admired his sound and authenticity to Houston.

“My condolences @clubgozilla,” 2 Chainz wrote on social media. “God bless your soul and your family.”

“Just a great, spirited person,” said Bun B in a tribute to the rapper on Instagram.

Fans on social media recalled BeatKing's dominance of the club scene in the 2010s, creating an image for himself by wearing black T-shirts with slogans like “I'm unfollowing back” and “Stop moving to Houston.”

He leaves behind two daughters and his partner.

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Hamilton reported from New York.

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Lathan is a corps member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on issues that aren't as frequently covered.