Philadelphia-born rapper Chynaa Rogers, who performed simply as Chynna, died last night at age 25. According to The Wrap, she passed away from a drug overdose. Her manager, John Miller, provided a statement that reads, “I can regrettably confirm Chynna passed away. Chynna was deeply loved and will be sorely missed.”
Chynna was open about her struggles steering clear of opiates and other drugs, an attraction that intersected dangerously at times with her fascination with morbid topics she freely celebrated in her goth-infused rhymes.
Whether astrology is real or not, Chynna was a case of perfectly embodying her chart with her ability to light up a room with a sun in Leo, free-flowing creativity aided by an Aquarius moon all of which was anchored by a rising sign in mystical, cynical and skeptical Scorpio.
In January, Chynna dropped a mixtape titled, “in case i die first,” a title that could be viewed as prescient except that she had a long-held fascination with death, which she often examined through project titles and lyrics.
When asked about her interest in morbid topics, in a 2016 interview prior to the launch of a mixtape inspired by Alfred Hitchcock,” Chynna commented, “I’m not going to sit here and say like, I’m so suicidal or anything. I’m not afraid of death. I’m entertained by it. I’m interested in it because it’s inevitable, it’s part of life.”
While born in Philly and deeply loyal to the city, she was living in Bushwick, Brooklyn at the time of her death and since her teens had spent most of her time in New York where she became associated with the A$AP crew. Chynna was hit especially hard by the death of her mentor A$AP Yams in 2015, and subsequently struggled with the loss of her mother who was awaiting a lung transplant in 2017 when she died.
Funny, deeply beautiful and just plain dope, we will miss Chynna’s presence on this Earth and wish her soul peace.
Check all three parts of our 2016 interview with Chynna below.
