Kenny Clutch/FacebookBy now, you've certainly heard all about the tragic demise of 27-year-old aspiring rapper Kenny Clutch, who was shot Thursday morning on the Las Vegas Strip. You've probably also heard all the grisly details: How gunfire pounded into his Maserati caused a crash with a taxi, killing both the driver and passenger--who had nothing to do with the original altercation.
What you probably don't know, and are wondering, is: Who exactly is Kenneth Cherry Jr., who rapped under the stage name Kenny Clutch? Here are five details about the young man that will shed some light on his life, lifestyle prior to the tragedy, and what he was all about.
He was a Californian before becoming a Vegas local: Cherry's great aunt, Patricia Sims, noted that her grand-nephew was a "delightful kid" who grew up in Northern California's Bay Area and attended two Catholic high schools in the area. Cherry's dad, also of the Bay Area, said his son started his music career in Oakland, Calif., and moved to Las Vegas about 6 years ago to pursue a rap career. "My son was no gangster or nothing like that," Cherry Sr. asserted to the media.
He possibly predicted his own death. In October of last year, Cherry tweeted the following proclamation: "I pray to God I look my killers in the Eye... Rip to all the real n--gas." What he meant by this was unclear, but it remains eerie in the face of his fate.
He followed in the footsteps of another, very famous, rapper: The legendary Tupac Shakur suffered a similar fate in 1996, when he was hit by gunfire driving near Flamingo Road--just a couple blocks away from where Cherry met his fate. Shakur's case has never been solved. Cherry's assailants are currently still at large.
It's easy to imagine his last minutes on earth from his viewpoint: Cherry filmed a video, "Stay Schemin," featuring a Maserati and an eagle-eye driver's view of the Las Vegas Strip.
He's rumored to have his hand in other activities: Much is being made of the chatter that Cherry may have been a pimp. There is no confirmation on this, just gossip.