Claire Melendez, a woman who was featured on the cover of WWCD, the studio debut album of Griselda, has died. Westside Gunn, the co-founder of the Griselda collective, shared news of the passing of Claire Melendez, showcasing a number of photos within the process.
According to a report from Syracuse.com, Claire Melendez, also known as Claire Mel, was an unhoused woman who was known across the Buffalo, N.Y. region. While a cause of death wasn’t shared in the article, the chatter online appears to put to a hit-and-run incident.
Melendez graced the cover of WWCD (What Would Chine Gun Do), an album released in 2019 on Eminem’s Shady Records imprint that featured no samples. The production was handled by longtime Griselda cohort Daringer and Beat Butcha, using live instrumentation throughout the project.
“My fav Buffalo Kid. You’ll be Loved Forever,” Gunn wrote via Twitter with a brief collage of photos and the hashtags “#IMMORTAL” and “#RIPCLAIRE.”
Melendez was referenced on the track “Connie’s Son” from Gunn’s HWH7 project with production from King JBY B. According to a Facebook post, Melendez graduated from Burgard High School in Buffalo back in 1993.
Gunn referred to Melendez as a beloved figure in interviews, and there has been an outpouring of love and respect occurring across Twitter. We’ve got those reactions listed below.
Rest in powerful peace to Claire Melendez.
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Photo: Instagram/@crackheadclaire__
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Claire Melendez, Featured On Griselda’s Shady Records Debut LP Cover, Has Died #RIPCLAIRE was originally published on hiphopwired.com