Honored by 2 Chainz, Boosie BadAzz and More, Peers React to DJ Bigga Rankin’s Death
The Florida hip-hop godfather helped launch the careers of southern rap icons like Rick Ross and T.I.
DJ Bigga Rankin in Orlando, Florida on November 2, 2005.
Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images.
DJ Bigga Rankin, born Billy Plummer, passed away on Monday, July 20, his family has confirmed. The Jacksonville product was a godfather of Florida’s hip-hop scene, having made his name as a promoter before becoming a music executive who helped launch stars like T.I. and Rick Ross, and his Strictly 4 Traps N Trunks mixtape series.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that the patriarch of our family, Billy ‘Bigga Rankin’ Plummer, passed away earlier this morning on July 20, 2026,” the family said in a statement posted on Bigga’s official Facebook account. For decades, he built his career and earned a reputation as one of the South's most influential DJs and promoters.
Tallahassee’s DJ Demp was a close friend, and he told Jacksonville’s News 4 that Rankin never hesitated to share his knowledge with others.
"He was responsible for so many intros on so many artists, albums and songs and singles and helped independent artists," Demp said. "If you walked up on him, he was going to give you some game. He wasn't going to gatekeep. He was just a humble spirit."
A cause of death has not been released.
“It’s hard to put in words his impact he had on our culture. especially the streets of Jacksonville,” Lil Duval wrote on Instagram. “I made sure i let him know how much i appreciated him whenever i saw him. U really fk the city up wit this one. Rest well Our ghetto pastor @biggarankin00 (every DJ from Jacksonville get they style from him. EVERY ONE OF THEM)”
Bigga Rankin was instrumental in the careers of southern rap icons like Jeezy, Yo Gotti, B.o.B. and Gucci Mane, and as news began to spread of his passing, some of the genre’s biggest names paid tribute.
