Charley Gallay/Getty Images for ChryslerM-Bone's life was cut short just as his star was on the rise. And now we must say goodbye to the Dougie-loving rapper.
Funeral services were held today in Inglewood, Calif., for the Cali Swag District rapper, real name Montae Talbert, who was killed on May 15 in a drive-by shooting.
Friends, family and fans gathered at Faithful Central Bible Church for the memorial service and paid their last respects to the 22-year-old hip-hopster, who was considered the wildman and prankster of the hit-making SoCal group.
Cali Swag District touched off a nationwide dance craze with the hit single "Teach Me How to Dougie," which paid tribute to '80s hip-hop icon Doug E. Fresh and reached No. 28 on the Billboard charts.
At the time of M-Bone's death, the group was getting ready to promote their debut, The Kickback, which drops Oct. 12, and surviving group members have been grieving ever since.
C-Smoove, aka Smoove Da General, tweeted that he was "crushed" at the loss of Talbert: "Ma life changed drasticall in the. Blink of an eye...I'm hurting man real talk."
While fellow MC Jayare told local station ABC7 that he felt "awful."
"I just want to go sit in a corner,'' he said. "I just lost one of my best friends and there's nothing I can do about it. I been with this dude every day for like two years...and [I'll] never see him again. It's killing me. I don't know how to think right now.''
M-Bone was sitting in the passenger seat of a parked car outside a liquor store in the L.A.-adjacent Inglewood, his hometown, when police say another vehicle pulled up alongside and an unknown assailant fired two bullets, both of which struck Talbert in the head.
A Cali Swag rep released a statement stating that M-Bone "was the victim of a random act of violence." Yesterday, the band put out a loving tribute single to their fallen comrade entitled "How to Do That," which samples "Teach Me How To Dougie."
An investigation into the slaying is ongoing but so far no suspects have been identified and authorities have asked that anyone with information contact Inglewood PD.