Goonew
Artist
Markelle Antonio Morrow (May 14, 1997 — March 18, 2022), professionally known as Goonew, was a musical artist from Forest Creek, Prince George’s County, Maryland.
After a mention from Big Flock, a rapper he grew up with since he was five, he started rapping in 2017 after he dropped out of school. He immediately started to gain a buzz through songs such as Stain, Honda and #FreeTayK. This resulted in co-signs from artists such as Ian Connor, Lil Yachty and G Herbo. Goonew also coined a signature “whisper flow” and catchphrase “hey auntie” which went viral on multiple occasions throughout his career, whether the people knew the origin or not.
Goonew followed up Hey Auntie, Certified Goon, and Beware of Goon with Goonwick and Big 64, along with Goonrich Urkel and Still Servin the next year. Goonew also hopped on releases with Xanman, A$AP Ant, Kayvo, Keezah, Duwap Kaine who he formed a close relationship with, and his cousin Yung Maaly over the years.
In 2018, Goonew founded the record label Guwop Gang. He also stated he was Hoodrich/MONY POWR RSPT even before he started rapping.
After being followed in a police pursuit throughout two different counties, Goonew ended up doing seven months in prison, working jobs inside to decrease sentence time. He was eventually freed in October 2021. Following this, Goonew announced the release of his next project, Raised as a Goon.
On March 18, 2022, Goonew was found with fatal gunshot wounds in a District Heights, Maryland parking lot. His family believes he was the victim of an armed robbery. His mother says the artist gave up everything the suspect wanted, but he was still shot in the back.
The 24-year-old’s funeral, named The Final Show, was held at Bliss Nightclub in Washington D.C. Footage from inside the building appears to show the rapper’s embalmed corpse overlooking the crowd, fully dressed up and wearing a crown. This went viral and sparked a numerous amount of controversies. Patrice Morrow, Goonew’s mother, revealed that apparently this was how he wanted to go and to let them grieve in peace.
