Lil Real One,’ New Orleans rapper mentored by Soulja Slim, laid to rest

A funeral was said on Thursday at Boyd’s Funeral Home on Chef Menteur Highway for Brandon Guidry, 41, the popular New Orleans rapper known as Lil Real One.

Guidry died after being fatally stabbed Oct. 20 at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

Witnesses say that he was handcuffed and shackled in the yard in Camp C when he was stabbed in the neck by another incarcerated man, identified as Eric McCall by several people who spoke to The Lens. He was airlifted to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge, where he was pronounced dead a few days later. (When asked to confirm McCall’s identity, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections said he could not comment, because the incident is still under investigation by law enforcement.)

*Godmother Veedra “Rose” Tyson, mourns Brandon Guidry, who called her mama, because she looked after him in the years after his mother died. (Photo by Gus Bennett / The Lens)*

Brandon Guidry is survived by his sister Turiya along with his brother, Makonnen Guidry; two other sisters, Kyra Guidry and Iris Turner; and a niece, Ta’laiya Turner. The Guidry children’s mother, Florence Guidry died in July 2006, from injuries she suffered after being hit by a car. His father, William Bellinger, also passed away when Guidry was young.

The late James Tapp Jr., known as Soulja Slim, mentored Guidry, who was eight years his junior, and dubbed him Lil Real One. He was signed to Soulja Slim’s record label Cut Throat Comitty Records and was expected to become the label’s first artist. “This is my little reincarnation right now. This is why I’m putting all my money behind this little young’un,” Tapp said in a video. But Slim’s death in 2003 forced Guidry to put some of his young ambitions on hold, though he continued to rap.

A loyal contingent of rappers, beatmakers, producers and family members showed up to the funeral on Thursday, to say goodbye to their label mate, fellow rapper, and friend.

From left: Darrell Sutton, who does security for rap artists; producer Wil the Great; and Mark Horton, the rapper M11, who also was associated with Soulja Slim and Cut Throat Comitty. “I produced a bunch of Lil Real One’s music,” Wil the Great said. “The last time I talked to him he wanted me to put the music out there. He’d wanted me to produce some of his unreleased tracks because he just wanted some commissary.” ❊❊❊ “There’s still a couple verses that need to be done; we’re hoping to get some big celebrity artists on board to help finish the songs. We want to finish it out, for his legacy. And for justice.” ❊❊❊ (Photo by Gus Bennett / The Lens)

Clockwise from upper left: Elder Ray Scott from Old Fashioned Mississippi Baptist Church on the West Bank, with Elder Ken Nora; Guidry’s family embracing in the chapel; XX; Guidry’s family mourning at his casket; lifelong friend T.J. Poche embraces a family member; a funeral director at Boyd Funeral Home lays out gloves for pallbearers; Terrell “T-Roc” Belvin; and Aten Muhammad; center: Lee.

“I want people to remember his personality,
his grind, his determination, his uniqueness.
He was different and he was rare. ”
Menace, rap artist

“He was steady,” said Brandon Guidry’s lifelong friend Darrius Williams, 42. “He was a very flamboyant person, but he was straight up authentic, really his self. Not trying to be nobody else, not trying to duplicate nobody.” ❊❊❊ “When he said something, he meant it. He stood on it, 100%. A true real one right there. Everything he said in his rhymes, everything he said, he was straight up hisself, authentically himself. Not trying to be nobody else or fit in with nobody he ain’t have to fit in with.” ❊❊❊ “He was one of a kind. I even changed his name. I was calling him Lil Ill One. Instead of Lil Real One, I called him Lil Ill One, because he was sick with it, with the flow, like crazy with everything he do.” ❊❊❊ *(Photo by Gus Bennett / The Lens)*

Darris Williams with Terrell “T-Roc” Belvin, 42. Belvin and Guidry were both hit by a bull at the Angola Rodeo in 2017. Belvin ended up winning $250, but they went there with the idea that if they got injured, they would be awarded duty status, allowing them to stay home for a while from work in the fields on the Farm Line. The two of them were arrested and incarcerated together. Belvin said that, throughout all that time, Guidry would rap and write. ❊❊❊ “He used to carry a notebook around when we were held in River Bend together. But once when we made it to Angola, we used to go to the law library together trying to, he was fighting his conviction, you know.” ❊❊❊ “*Oh man, he was genuine. He was one of the most genuine persons I ever met.” ❊❊❊* *(Photo by Gus Bennett / The Lens)*

Thomas “TJ the Barber” Poche, 42, knew Guidry since they were small, since 1991 when they both lived in a complex called Orleans East Apartments. They’d go to the store together or to the candy ladies. Brandon liked Sugar Daddies and Cry Babies the most, he said. ❊❊❊ Also, Brandon had a distinct look. “He had a little bush. I used to try to cut his hair but he liked to keep that bush.” ❊❊❊ “He was physically small for his age. We were all taller than him. He was in a different dorm when we were both in Bridge City, because of his size. But when I saw him, he’d walk around with a notebook. He was always writing, always rapping.” ❊❊❊ ” I am so sad about everything that happened. The trajectory of life.” ❊❊❊ (Photo by Gus Bennett / The Lens)

From left to right: Darrell Sutton, Terrell “T-Roc” Belvin, Menace, Thomas “TJ” Poche, and Mark Horton, the rapper M11. Menace, 43, said that he and Guidry were fellow rappers and label mates, both signed with Cut Throat Comitty. ❊❊❊ “We talked a lot, maybe three or four times a week,” Menace said. “I talked to him a couple of days before this happened. He never told me he had no issues going on, nothing at all. I didn’t sense any danger, he didn’t give me any signs.” ❊❊❊ “I want people to remember his personality, his grind, his determination, his uniqueness. He was different and he was rare. And he was special for sure. So we just gonna try to keep his name alive, keep it going.” ❊❊❊ (Photo by Gus Bennett)

Aten Muhammad, 31, pays his last respects to Brandon Guidry. He has heard that two guards were fighting in the yard, and that is how Guidry was not protected from the man who stabbed him while he was shackled at the hands and feet. (Photo by Gus Bennett / The Lens)

*Elder Ray Scott, Old Fashioned Mississippi Baptist Church, West Bank, and Elder Ken Nora, who conducted Thursday’s service. (Photo by Gus Bennett / The Lens)*

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