Amsterdam rapper Bigidagoe (26) was shot on Sunday morning near Amsterdam-Sloterdijk station. He died not long afterwards. It was not the first time that the musician was involved in a shooting. What do we know about him?
Danzel Silos, Bigidagoe’s real name, was part of Zone 6. That is a notorious rap formation from Holendrecht, a residential area in Amsterdam-Southeast. The neighborhood becomes like problem neighborhood seen, partly because of the high crime rates and unemployment.
The frontman of Zone 6 is Joël H. alias JoeyAK. Bigidagoe was his right-hand man. The group has often been in the news for criminal activities and is associated with drug trafficking.
For example, in December the Public Prosecution Service demanded a prison sentence of seven years against Joey AK. That case revolves around the kidnapping, threat and assault of rapper Kobus L. in October 2022. Bigidagoe was also involved: four years were demanded against him. They are said to have had help from seven other men, also associated with Zone 6. A verdict will be handed down in March.
Zone 6’s music is often called drill rap or gangster rap. Gangster rap is a subgenre of rap that originated in the ghettos of major American cities. The lyrics are violent and about gangs, sex and drugs.
Drill rap is a subgenre of gangster rap in which crime and rap lyrics also seem to go hand in hand. In the music the artists talk about their problems and enemies. There are often verbal threats, sometimes also by showing firearms in the clips. The difference between the two genres is that drill rap is said to be more aggressive. Violence is not only glorified here, but it is also threatened in concrete terms.
It is difficult to say exactly to which genre Zone 6’s music belongs. JoeyAK previously released ‘Drill freestyle‘ in which he raps: “Rain of bullets better take cover now. You never let me eat so if you have to you will really be eaten.”
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Police investigate the scene where rapper Bigidagoe was shot dead
Of course, it remains a matter of speculation whether there are concrete connections between the texts and the violent incidents. But the lyrics do not seem to stand alone.
Shortly after the kidnapping of Kobus L., JoeyAK took the number Stay soldier on. In it he raps: “And now Holy is mine. Every boy who fights in the neighborhood gets a Roley from me.” According to the public prosecutor responsible for the kidnapping case, the rap group is trying to influence Holendrecht (Holy) with such lyrics. Zone 6 would thus encourage other young people to commit criminal offences.
The kidnapping does not seem to be the only incident that has been incorporated into a rap song. Bigidagoe was also shot on August 26, after which he released the number a week later Up the Blaze released. In it he raps, among other things, “And I don’t see that I won’t make it” and “A week ago I was still flat on the ground. I thank God for my days here.” With the sentence “if I find him, it won’t be his body but his head that hurts” he even makes a veiled threat.
Although Bigidagoe has surpassed one million streams with a number of his releases op Spotify has passed, he has never been able to approach the musical successes of JoeyAK. JoeyAK has several successful albums to his name, on which he collaborated with big names such as Lil Kleine, FRENNA and Josylvio. He raked in millions of streams with this.
In the clips of JoeyAK, Bigidagoe and other Zone 6 members, scantily clad women, money and expensive items often play a major role. According to reports, the last two Het Parool are largely funded with proceeds from the cocaine trade. Last week it was announced that JoeyAK needed more than half a million euros refund to the state. The police concluded that he had large amounts of cash in his possession and that he could not prove that he had obtained it legally.
The police are continuing to investigate the shooting that killed Bigidagoe.
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