DJ Bigga Rankin, legendary Florida-based DJ and music promoter who has been the initial driving force behind artists like Rick Ross and T.I., Yo Gotti, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Young Dolph, YFN Lucci and many others, passed away Monday, July 20.
His real name was Billy Plummer and beyond his music career, he was also a community advocate. He was 50. DJ Bigga Rankin's death on Monday was confirmed on his Instagram page. A message along with a photo of Bigga Rankin read: "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."
However, a cause of the hip hop stalwart's death was not announced.
“We know how much he meant to his wife, his children, and the entire city of Jacksonville. As we grieve the loss of a legend, we the family ask that our privacy is respected,” the message in the page continued. “The funeral arrangements and celebration of life of Bigga Rankin will be shared as soon as they are available.”
Wendy Day, a co-worker who described DJ Bigga Rankin as "my husband in the industry" called his passing as "a sad day for hip hop."
"He was a father, a DJ, a husband, a legend, a friend, a brother, and an industry husband. As I dug through my phone to find a photo of him, I was struck by how many pictures I have of him and us together—and how many deceased people still live on, in the photos on my phone," she wrote. “Bigga was 1 of 1, a tremendous human being and a proud Jamaican.”
However, none of his friends or associates was able to reveal anything about the 50-year-old Jacksonville legend's cause of death.
Who Was DJ Bigga Rankin, aka Billy Plummer?
DJ Bigga Ranking is known for his significant impact on Southern hip hop scene. He has been called a "legend of Southern hip hop" by many. News 4 Jacksonville reported on his legacy following the shock passing, noting the impact he has had in his 30 years in the music industry, espcially in Jacksonville.
The outlet revisited a quote from Plummer discussing his legacy from an interview last month. “I’m always helping people...my mama always told me to give without expecting nothing back...I feel like I was real because I’m always giving,” he had said in an interview. The quote has now resurfaced and gone viral on social media.
Bigga Ranking started off in the 1990s with his nightclub, Cool Runnings, in Jacksonville. Before hip hop artists could land a producer, their beats often found a place at Bigga Rankin, leading to the discovery of the artists, often followed by success later.
“When I step into Duval and grab a microphone, everything changes,” he told News 4 Jax last month in the interview. “Duval is one of the best party cities in the world.”