Nashawn Breedlove, an actor best know for portraying battle rapper, Lotto, in 8 Mile, has died.
Breedlove, who was affectionately known as “Ox,” passed in his sleep on Sunday (Sept. 24) in his New Jersey home, TMZ reports. The cause of death is unknown.
Bronx-bred rapper, Mickey Factz, was the first to report news of Breedlove’s death. In an Instagram post, he wrote, “RIP to one of the few emcee’s to beat Eminem… Lotto from 8 Mile. Friends lovingly called him, OX. You will be missed for your tenacity and aggressiveness.”
In their notorious battle, Lotto memorably raps to Eminem‘s character, Rabbit, “On some real s**t though, I like you/ That’s why I didn’t wanna have to be the one you commit suicide to/ F**k Lotto, call me a leader/ I feel bad I gotta murder that dude from ‘Leave it to Beaver.'”
A Newark-raised artist named Datin, took to the comments of Mickey’s post to reflect on meeting Ox as a teen. “NOOOOOO! [broken heart emoji] I met Ox when we was Teens. He was in a group called The Now. Illest group of emcees I’ve ever met in my friggin life. They SMOKED my group in a showcase competition but they was humble and cool. Ox stood out. Super good dude. I lost touch with him before 8 Mile. I had high hopes for that man. Sad to hear this news. May he RIP,” he wrote.
The mother of Breedlove’s son added, “Thank you for posting this. Nashawn was so humble and modest he didn’t even know he had true fans. He was so talented. Not only was he an amazing MC; he sang better than Luther. He blessed me with my son @youngzaak and I swear that is Nashawn to the 10th power. I will always be his biggest fan. If yall only knew his talent… please pray for our strength it is needed. Thank you again @mickey.factz.”
Breedlove was also featured on The Wash soundtrack with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.
VIBE sends our deepest condolences to all those affected by this loss.