Tyruss Gerald Himes (November 22, 1968 – December 5, 2016), better known by his stage names Big Syke and Mussolini, was an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

best known for his work with the American hip-hop groups Thug Life and Outlawz. His stage name "Big Syke" is a revision of his childhood nickname "Little Psycho". He died at his home in

Hawthorne, California Hawthorne is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is part of a seventeen-city subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area commonly known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay. As of the 2020 United States cens ...

, on December 5, 2016.

Career

Big Syke was born and raised in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

. He was a member of the Imperial Village Crips in

. In 1990, Big Syke and fellow rappers Domino and Mental Illness started a hip-hop group named Evil Mind Gangstas. In 1992, he met rapper Tupac "2Pac" Shakur and joined 2Pac's rap group Thug Life. In 1995, he joined 2Pac's second rap group, The Outlaw Immortalz, as Mussolini and recorded songs for 2Pac's 1996 album '' All Eyez on Me'', including "Picture Me Rollin, "When We Ride", " All Eyez On Me", and "Check Out Time".

Defamation suit

On January 19, 2007, Big Syke, a friend of Shakur who was implicated in the murder of The Notorious B.I.G. by the Los Angeles Fox affiliate KTTV and ''XXL'' magazine in 2005, brought a

defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

lawsuit regarding the accusations.

Death

Big Syke died at his home in

, on December 5, 2016, at the age of 48 from natural causes.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Be Yo' Self'' (October 15, 1996, Parole / RideOnUm Records) *''Big Syke Daddy'' (September 25, 2001, D3 Entertainment / RideOnUm Records) *''Street Commando'' (May 21, 2002, Riviera / RideOnUm Records) *''Big Syke'' (October 22, 2002, Rap-a-Lot / RideOnUm Records)

Collaboration albums

*With Evil Mind Gangsta's - ''All Hell Breakin' Loose'' (1992, Organize Records) *With Thug Life - '' Thug Life Vol. 1'' (September 26, 1994, Out Da Gutta /

Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

)

Compilation albums

*''Thug Law: Thug Life Outlawz Chapter 1'' (October 23, 2001, D3 Entertainment / RideOnUm Records) *''Thug Law: Thug Life Outlawz Chapter 2'' (September 2, 2003, RideOnUm Records)

Mixtapes

*''Thug Life: Demo Tape'' (with Thug Life) (1994,

) *''Big Syke: Volume 1'' (July 27, 2007, Ghost Label) *''Big Syke: Reincarnated Volume 1'' (2007, Self-released)

Guest appearances

References

External links

* *
Big Syke
on

Vimeo Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...

Interview with Anton Batey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Syke, Big 1968 births 2016 deaths African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery Crips Gangsta rappers G-funk artists Musicians from Inglewood, California Outlawz members Rappers from Los Angeles West Coast hip-hop musicians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians