Rappers Jigg and Celly Cell killed in double shooting in Milwaukee on Monday

Two men who were shot and killed Monday on Milwaukee’s north side have been identified by family as popular local rappers – Joevon “Jigg” Wilder and Marcell “Celly Cell” Hendrix.

The incident was reported on the 2900 block of North 20th Street at 12:35 a.m., police said. No arrests have been announced.

Wilder in particular had achieved regional success and has been credited with drawing more attention to Milwaukee's rap scene. He amassed more than 32,000 followers on Instagram, with his most popular song, 2017’s “No Hook,” reaching 2.3 million views on YouTube.

Hendrix, 24, had nearly 5,000 followers on Instagram as well. He was identified to the Journal Sentinel by his mother, Robin Parker of Sheboygan. She described him as a loving son and father who loved music. She said Monday night she was still in shock over the shooting.

Wilder, 26, was also a father who had been planning to leave Milwaukee to pursue a full-time career in music, according to his grandmother, Peggy Wright.

“He was a loving and caring person. He was a good father,” she said. “He had a good personality. He was a character. He was laid back and chill and would just write songs.”

As word spread Monday and Tuesday, tributes for the two poured forth on social media and elsewhere.

Evan Rytlewski, former music editor and writer for Radio Milwaukee and the Shepherd Express and a Pitchfork contributor who had written about Jigg, wrote on X that Jigg was a "huge figure in Milwaukee rap."

"Jigg was part of the first wave of Milwaukee rappers that made 1, 2 million plus streams possible, and look easy," Rytlewski wrote. "A big, charismatic guy built like an action figure, he was one of the most recognizable artists in the city for a time."

Just seven months ago, Wilder released a song on YouTube called "One Way Jigga" that has more than 130,000 views.

"He's got a lot of star power," the "No Hook" music video director TeeGlazedIt told the Journal Sentinel in a 2019 interview. "He makes flawless street records. He makes good music... He's just authentic and original."

The biggest hit featuring Wilder was "Fast Cash Babies" with Milwaukee rapper Chicken P. Released in February 2019, the song currently has 3.4 million views on YouTube, and became a watershed moment for the Milwaukee street rap scene.

In its wake, music videos by Milwaukee rappers more consistently and frequently had views in the hundreds of thousands, or even millions, on YouTube. There's been more media attention from national outlets like Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and Wired. And more Milwaukee rappers have signed with major labels, including Lakeyah with Quality Control, Certified Trapper with Columbia Records' Signal Records, and Chicken P himself, who recently signed with 10K Projects, the label behind Ice Spice.

"'Fast Cash Babies' is definitely one of the songs that introduced me (and I'm sure plenty of other outsiders) to the scene," Pitchfork rap columnist Alphonse Pierre wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Monday. "Tragic loss."

More: These Milwaukee rappers have millions of YouTube views. When will the music industry notice?

More: 'This is history in the making': Milwaukee's lowend rap scene is finding a big audience

Police have not released any additional information about the shooting that killed Wilder and Hendrix.

After three straight years of record-breaking homicides in Milwaukee, homicides have dropped more than 20% in 2023, although they remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic years. That tracks with national trends which show homicides in major cities have dropped up to 13% this year but still remain above pre-pandemic years.

In an example of the still-elevated homicide rate, Milwaukee police have now reported nine homicides over an 11-day period beginning Dec. 8.

Just several blocks down from Monday’s shooting scene are the offices of the community organization Amani United, where workers that morning were loading a truckload of donated blankets for a winter blanket drive.

Elizabeth Brown, the president of Amani United, echoed what police have long said about Milwaukee’s gun violence: most of it is motivated by arguments and personal disputes among a relatively small group of people.

She said her organization has been busy all year organizing events in nearby Moody Park, providing resources to residents to encourage homeownership and other initiatives.

“We walk through this neighborhood all hours, whenever, every day,” she said. “Most of the things that happen are personal. It’s no worse than anywhere else. We have events in the park all the time and it goes without any incidents. For the most part, everybody knows each other. And most of the stuff that happens these days is domestic and personal.”

How to contact police

Anyone with any information about the shootings is asked to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or use the P3 Tips app.

Contact Adrienne Davis at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee rappers Jigg and Celly Cell killed in double shooting