Rich Homie Quan, an Atlanta rapper known for singles like “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)” and “Type of Way,” has died. He was 34.

Quan’s death was confirmed to the Daily Beast on Thursday by a spokesperson for the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office. A cause was not immediately shared, with an autopsy set to be performed on Friday.

According to TMZ, which first reported Quan’s death, the rapper was found in his Atlanta home on Thursday. The tabloid reported that his girlfriend discovered his body and called 911, telling the dispatcher that Quan was not breathing and did not have a heartbeat.

Speculation about Quan’s death proliferated across social media earlier on Thursday after the rapper Boosie Badazz seemed to reference it in a series of tweets, saying he’d heard Quan had “JUST OD,” or overdosed.

“Never go forget yo smile n the way talked n of course yo music,” Boosie added in another tweet.

Born in 1989, Quan found his groove as a lyrical, melodic rapper with a distinctive trap sound within the lush Atlanta rap scene of the 2010s.

He broke through in 2013 with ‘Type of Way,’ and found his greatest success as a member of Rich Gang, a spin-off project from Cash Money Records that saw him team up with fellow Atlantan Young Thug on the popular 2014 track ‘Lifestyle.’

His relationship with Thug, real name Jeffrey Lamar Williams, eventually appeared to fracture behind the scenes. Quan continued to insist there was no beef between the two, however, and called for Thug’s release after his 2022 arrest on gang-related charges.

Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images

When Thug’s trial kicked off last November, his defense team ‘Lifestyle’ aloud for the court in an effort to demonstrate his artistry.

Quan’s name came up during proceedings this week, when Thugger, as he’s known, laughed off a direct question about him from a witness on the stand.

Colleagues, collaborators, and friends rushed to pay tribute to the rapper on Thursday.

“Dam lil brother, we just spoke about shooting a video,” Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz said on Instagram. “Special prayer for you and your family, and pray for any and everybody that’s dealing with something. My condolences bru.”

“Rest in Peace my brother Rich Homie Quan,” Jacquees said on X. “I love you for Life. #Richgang.”

Taraji P. Henson is posing in front of the hottest seat at the premiere of Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist. 

There’s a line of her Fight Night co-stars waiting for their turn to be photographed on a metallic gold tufted sofa, flown in especially for the New York City afterparty. Attendees might believe it’s an inspired set design from the limited series based on a storied piece of Atlanta history from the 1970s, but the couch has its own history. More about that later.

Fight Night follows the real events around Oct. 26, 1970, the night Muhammad Ali made a historic return to boxing after a three-year suspension for avoiding the U.S. Armed Forces draft. At the same time, a celebratory party across town hosted by an Atlanta numbers runner Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams (played by Kevin Hart) was going terribly wrong. Chicken Man’s brazen attempts to impress notorious New York gangster Frank Moten (Samuel L. Jackson), the party’s honored guest, went widely askew as they entered the house party. Chicken Man, Moten and nearly 100 other affluent guests become victims of one of the city’s biggest robbery heists.

The series was adapted from the true-crime podcast, created by Atlanta-based screenwriter-turned-podcaster Jeff Keating and film producer Will Packer and launched on iHeartPodcast in October 2020. The podcast caught the attention of Kevin Hart, who signed on to star and executive produce when Peacock ordered the series.

With Hart on board, Packer made his next call as he began building out the ensemble cast: “Sam Jackson… We went straight to the big dog,” Packer told The Hollywood Reporter at the series premiere on Wednesday in New York City. “I said, ‘Yo, Sam, we got something for you, brother. This is gonna be good. We’re all in. And if you get in, you will be our anchor, and we will be able to build an incredible cast around you.’”

Jackson’s heavyweight talent grounded the series in more ways than one. The award-winning actor has personal ties to Fight Night’s history. “I knew Sam was around in Atlanta during the time this all went down. What I didn’t know is we were shooting in the neighborhood where his wife was from, and he had got married at the church around the corner 40 years ago,” said series creator and showrunner Shaye Ogbunna. “Samuel Jackson is a part of the constituency that I feel responsible towards telling the story accurately.” 

Packer couldn’t agree more. “Sam was a wealth of information throughout. He would tell us if we weren’t getting things right — if that wasn’t the watch that they wore, if that wasn’t the look that they had,” said the executive producer. “Sam was very serious about that because he lived through it. He was at college at Morehouse at the time, so he was like an extra researcher for us that made sure he kept us in line. Sam said we got this right, and that meant a lot coming from him.”

Fight Night‘s stellar ensemble reunites several castmembers, including Taraji P. Henson, who plays Chicken Man’s right hand and lover Vivian Thomas, while Terrence Howard stars as Moten’s enforcer Cadillac Richie. Henson and Howard both had breakout moments when they appeared in 2005’s Hustle & Flow and 10 years later in the TV series Empire.

Don Cheadle plays J.D. Hudson, one of the first Black detectives in Atlanta’s desegregated police force, who gets assigned to the robbery case. Cheadle and Henson led the biopic Talk to Me in 2007. Although they did not share much screen time in Fight Night, they saw each other off-set and have been in touch through the years. “It’s like home,” Cheadle said of working with Henson. “I love her. I’m a big fan of her work, and I love whenever we have the opportunity to come together again.”

Back at the afterparty at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Howard stayed in character by wearing a Farrah Fawcett-inspired feathered wig while Cheadle was outfitted by British bespoke tailor Ozawald Boateng. Other Fight Night co-stars Jackson, Sinqua Walls, Chloe Bailey, Dexter Darden, Lori Harvey as well as party attendees Ego Nwodim, Amber Ruffin, Busta Rhymes and more made their way to the gold couch for photos. The elaborate decor hails from the office of former Roc Nation senior vp Lenny “Kodak Lens” Santiago, who’s taking his love of photographing the private parties of Jay-Z and Beyoncé to Hollywood. 

When asked about the significance of the couch to Fight Night, Santiago said this: “The couch has become sort of an aspirational thing. I used to be an A&R in the music business, where I would sign artists, develop talent, and then I used to feature those artists and people who I like on the couch. Now it’s become aspirational, like, ‘Look, I’m gonna make it to that couch.’ Because people who are on the couch have made it in one way or another, and it doesn’t matter in what capacity, hairdresser, mechanic, director, producer… The couch has become so popular it’s taken a life of its own.”

Fight Night’s first three episodes are now streaming on Peacock, with new episodes on Thursdays. 

The Atlanta Falcons have created $7.5 million in cap space, restructuring the contract of All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III on Wednesday.

Atlanta converted $11.25 million of Bates’ contract into a signing bonus for salary cap purposes, according to NFL insider Aaron Wilson. As a result, Bates’ cap hit dropped from $17.5 million to $10 million. The cap number will rise to $22.25 million in 2025 and $22.27 million in 2026.

The Falcons now have $6.464 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap. Atlanta needed the salary cap relief to sign another player — the active roster currently holds only 52 players, with one spot remaining open.

Since trading backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke to the Los Angeles Chargers on Aug. 28, the Falcons have left the final roster spot vacant. They now have the financial freedom to address it — thanks in part to Bates, whose value off the field is nearly as impactful as he is on it.

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Last season, Bates led the Falcons in tackles with 132 while recording six of the team’s eight interceptions. He also had three forced fumbles, a trio of tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with 11 passes defended.

Among defensive backs league-wide, Bates trailed only Minnesota Vikings standout Camryn Bynum (137) in tackles, while his six interceptions were the third-most. As a result, Bates earned his first career Pro Bowl appearance while being named second-team All-Pro for the second time in his six-year career.

Now, Bates is helping the Falcons’ front office — beyond proving them right for their four-year, $64.02 million investment last spring.