Rapper Joe B.G.'s Body Discovered In Rubble After Montreal Fire
Monday July 30, 2007 @ 05:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Joe B.G.

Montreal rapper Joe B.G. was killed in a fire that swept through six duplexes in the city's east end on Friday.

The body of the 26 year old (real name Jonathan Beaupre Guilbault) was discovered in the rubble 36 hours after the inferno, which began at 5 a.m. on Friday. The other 24 residents of the buildings that were affected by the blaze were uninjured, but a cat that awoke its owner and gave him time to escape also perished.

Firefighters swept through the duplexes and didn't find anyone and, because the fire is under investigation by the police arson squad, the normal second sweep was put on hold. They returned to the scene and found the remains after Guilbault's mother told them that her son hadn't turned up for a show at the TOHU performing arts centre on Friday night.

Joe B.G. was scheduled to perform as part of the city's annual FrancoFolies music festival on Sunday night. In his place, there was a moment of silence before performers wearing black T-shirts with "R.I.P. Joe B.G." sang in his memory.

The artist released his Ma Definition Du Hip Hop debut album under the name Mista Snake and appeared on the Hip Hop 2000 compilation. He collaborated with Quebec hip-hop star Sans Pression and performed more than 350 shows on his own and with others. He was working on a new album in his home studio at the time of his death.