Bigga Rankin’s family will accept Jacksonville’s key as the city honors the late DJ’s music, mentorship and community work.
Bigga Rankin will posthumously receive Jacksonville’s key, giving the Southern Hip-Hop architect a hometown salute three weeks after his death.
News4JAX reports Jacksonville will present the honor August 8 during the K.I.N.G. Foundation’s Back to School Community Day. The ceremony follows Mayor Donna Deegan’s proclamation making August 2, his birthday, Bigga Rankin Day.
Bigga Rankin, born Billy Plummer, died July 20 after more than three decades advancing Southern artists, according to his family’s statement.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that the patriarch of our family, Billy ‘Bigga Rankin’ Plummer, passed away earlier this morning on July 20th, 2026.”
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“We know how much he meant to his wife, his children, and the entire city of Jacksonville. As we grieve the loss of a legend, we the family ask that our privacy is respected.”
His family has not announced a cause, although he had disclosed losing a kidney and needing dialysis after battling COVID-19.
Mourners viewed him July 31 before roughly 1,000 people attended his Aug. 1 homegoing service at Paxon Revival Center Church.
As AllHipHop reported, Rick Ross, Bun B, Mia X, 2 Chainz, Boosie, Lil Duval and Young Cash publicly mourned him.
“We lost a legendary figure in Florida today,” Rick Ross wrote. “Bigga Rankin had an amazing spirit and he embraced me from day one. That’s the kind of love and loyalty you never forget. My dawg has moved on, but his legacy, his voice and the impact he made on this culture, especially Southern hip-hop, will live forever.”
Across three decades, Bigga Rankin’s mixtapes and signature voice helped turn street records into regional priorities.
He opened Jacksonville’s Cool Runnings nightclub in 1990, produced the city’s Diamond Awards and later held executive roles with Think It’s A Game and Hittmenn DJs.
His co-sign boosted Gucci Mane, B.o.B., Yo Gotti, Jeezy, T.I., Rick Ross and Plies nationally.
The key presentation begins Saturday at 1 p.m. inside A. Philip Randolph Park before a community day offering free backpacks, food and activities.
