3 Michigan Rappers Have Been Missing For 10 Days After Performance Is Canceled

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DETROIT - JULY 18: A Detroit police car sits on a downtown street on July 18, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Detroit police are investing the disappearance of Armani Kelly, 28, Dante Wicker, 31, and Montoya Givens, 31.

​​Detroit police said they're investigating the disappearance of three rappers who’ve been missing for 10 days. Per CNN, police identified Armani Kelly, 28, Dante Wicker, 31, and Montoya Givens, 31 as the missing individuals. Police said the three men went missing after a scheduled performance was canceled. Michael McGinnis, commander of major crimes of the Detroit Police, said promoters canceled the Jan 21st show. However, friends and family grew concerned after not hearing from them since.

“It’s our understanding that the performance got canceled, and from there – we just have a whole lot of unanswered questions that we are trying to find out,” McGinnis said. He confirmed that they “stopped having activity” the following morning on Jan. 22nd. McGinnis explained that the investigation began with Kelly’s mom who became extremely active in the case. She reportedly filed a missing person report the next day before tracking down her vehicle through OnStar. McGinnis said she found the car in Warren, MI, and police later recovered the car on Jan. 23rd by police. 

DETROIT - JULY 18: A Detroit police car sits on a downtown street on July 18, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)

By Jan. 27th, the case gained significant attention on social media. Once Kelly’s mom began to spread the word of her son’s disappearance, friends of Wicker and Givens also filed missing person reports. The case turned into a multi-agency investigation including departments from Detroit, Oscoda, Melvindale, and Warren. McGinnis also stated that the investigators from homicide and missing person departments are also helping try and find the three individuals.

Armani Kelly, who goes by the name Marley Whoop, reportedly called his fiancée, Taylor Perrin, around 5 p.m. to inform her the club canceled the show. Perrin explained that by 9 p.m., text messages stopped delivering to his phone, per the NYT.  She said it became increasingly worrisome, especially since they didn’t live in the same city and relied on their phones to communicate.

Fans knew Kelly as Marley Whoop, while Givens rapped under the name Jugg. We’ll keep you posted on any further updates on the case. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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