Family, friends remember slain Richmond rapper
Richard Doss wanted his music heard. The aspiring hip-hop artist had dreams of stardom, but he didn’t just want it for the fame. He also wanted to support his mom and two younger siblings.
Those dreams were cut short Sunday, when the 21-year-old rapper was fatally shot in his car in Richmond, authorities said.
Doss, better known by his stage name, Lil Buzz, was found dead Sunday night with multiple gunshot wounds, said Lt. Felix Tan, a spokesman for the Richmond Police Department.
Officers responded to a call about 8:45 p.m. of shots fired and a possible car accident on the 500 block of 23rd Street, where Doss was found and pronounced dead at the scene.
“He was like my brother,” said Doss’ cousin, Darryl Allison. “He was real ambitious. He always had big dreams, even as a kid.”
When Doss was in the sixth grade, he started recording rhymes using a microphone and laptop, said Danny Harris, another cousin. From that point on, his friends would often find him either in the studio or shooting a music video.
“He just worked his way on up,” Harris said.
Last February, Doss released an EP called “Ballads of a Young Playa,” which was notable for its “unique flow,” according to Thizzler, a Bay Area media company that highlights local mixtapes and music videos.
“Nowadays it feels rare for a rapper to talk honestly about the downside of the street life, especially in a way that’s actually catchy and appealing, but Buzz did it effortlessly,” the website wrote in a story posted Monday about Doss’ death.
Music videos Lil Buzz posted to YouTube had a high production value and frequently racked up tens of thousands of views.
For as long as his friends can remember, Doss was rapping about everything, Allison said. But his music often delved deepest into the struggles he faced making ends meet growing up in Richmond.
“He always wanted to get out,” Allison said. “He always wanted to provide for his family, for his mother.”
Even as a high school student, Doss was a young entrepreneur. Former classmate Todd McCarver remembers Doss selling candy to his fellow students.
“Everything he was doing back then to what he was doing now, it was always to make moves,” McCarver said.
When asked to name Doss’ favorite rapper, Harris couldn’t help but laugh. “Himself,” he said.
Doss always wore a yellow gold and diamond chain with the words “Buzz Bieber.”
“I never understood that,” Harris said, chuckling. “You know how people have their little inner ego.”
Aside from his music persona, Doss was known as a loving son, brother and cousin to his family, and for his laid-back nature with friends.
“It was all laughs with us,” Harris said. “It was all jokes.”
Allison’s mother, Elena Hooper, said she will never forget when she served Doss his first meal of chicken and waffles.
It was Allison’s birthday and a group of his friends from El Cerrito High School, along with Doss, had crammed into her Richmond apartment.
“Buzz was front and center,” Hooper said. “Ever since then, if he knew I was on the phone he was asking for chicken and waffles.”
His death has shocked family and friends, particularly his mother, whom Doss lived with most recently in Union City, Harris said.
“She could do better,” Harris said. “She’s doing all right, hanging in there.”
No arrests have been made in the shooting, but detectives are investigating possible leads, Tan said.
Doss is survived by his mother, sister and brother.
“He was just an allaround great person,” McCarver said. “He was genuine. He loved the people that loved him.”