Playboi Carti Pays Tribute To Rich Homie Quan During Award Acceptance Speech

September 5 proved to be a sad day in music. Rich Homie Quan died at age 34. There are countless album releases and events going on, but rappers everywhere are feeling the loss. Nowhere was this more evident than the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players Awards. Playboi Carti won his first ever award at the event. The rapper had already paid tribute to Quan earlier in the day, but he took the time to give a shoutout to Quan before he exited the stage.

It’s bizarre to think about Playboi Carti having never won an award. Yet, those were the circumstances in which the elusive rapper came to the stage. He thanked his mother, he thanked God, and he thanked the Billboard organization for giving him the award. Carti took a beat before continuing his speech, looked at the award in his hand, and shifted directions. “RIP Rich Homie Quan,” he told the crowd. He proceeded to shout out Quan’s crew, which drew cheers of support from those in the audience.

Playboi Carti previously posted music video footage of Quan on his Instagram Story. The two men never collaborated on a song together, but Carti has made it clear that he respected Quan as a musical talent. This is not the first time that Playboi Carti has talked about a fallen rapper in public. He paid tribute to the late, great Fredo Santana during a concert in 2022. “I miss Fredo like a motherfucker,” he told the crowd before wiping tears from his face.

Playboi Carti also got emotional talking about Juice WRLD. “That sh*t blew my mind bro,” he explained. “He was really a GOAT.” Carti’s voice cracked in the middle of the interview, and he reflected on the fact that he didn’t spend as much time with Juice as he intended. “Even if we wasn’t seen together like that,” he noted. “We was close.” Carti also noted that he regularly talks about the rappers who pass with peers like Lil Uzi Vert. He’s seen a lot, and sadly Rich Homie Quan is the latest to join the tragic list.