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 Rapper Tega, known for being a member of Nelly's St. Lunatics crew, passed away last week from injuries he sustained after being shot in late May.
According to local paper the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the 25-year-old rapper (real name: Ortega Henderson) was reportedly involved in a home robbery -- along with two other men -- in St. Louis on May 22nd, and ended up getting shot in the head during the crime.
It is unclear who fired that shot who struck Tega, but police say it could be one of the victims of the robbery who fired shots in self-defense.
He was being treated at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, but died from his injuries days later, on May 27th.
According to friends, Tega was a talented rapper who just got mixed up with the wrong crowd, ultimately resulting in his death.
"He got mixed up in the streets, but he was so talented, we thought we could pull him out of it," Kyjuan Cleveland, a friend of Tega's, told the paper. "He was on the right path for a minute, but times are hard and he started getting around the wrong people."
Blu Bolden of Nelly's record label, Derrty Entertainment, said the rapper had hoped music was his ticket to a better life.
"They were just trying to get it together," Bolden said. "He was an aspiring rapper, a really talented guy. He was trying to do his artistry and get out of the streets."
One of two men with Tega has been charged with several different felonies in connection with the robbery, including second-degree murder because the rapper died during the commission of a crime he allegedly committed.
Friends and family gathered at the Ronald L. Jones Funeral Chapel in St. Louis on Wednesday (June 3) for Tega's visitation.
St. Lunatics member Ali spoke at the gathering, explaining that all people have both good and bad within them, including Tega. But added, that his good outweighed his bad.
"Everyone has their positives and everyone has their negatives. I’m not going to say he was an angel," said Futurre Ali. "But I think the good outweighed the bad."
He had a criminal history, including drug and weapons charges, but was in the process of working on a new album before his passing. His group, Da Camp, opened for both Nelly and the St. Lunatics.
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