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Waka Flocka Flame, a famous rapper, played poker earlier this month in Las Vegas alongside athletes and influencers as part of the rowdy and high-octane Celebrity Poker Tour (CPT) Game Night V. Just a day earlier, he mourned the loss of Murder Inc. Records founder Irv Gotti, a legendary hip-hop figure who was found dead from a stroke suffered during a poker game.

Gotti, 54, is credited with discovering or signing rappers such as Jay-Z, Ja Rule, and DMX. The tragedy hit close to home for Waka Flocka Flame, literally. The 38-year-old “Hard in da Paint” rapper, who grew up in New York City before settling in Atlanta, told PokerNews his grandma lived down the street from Murder Inc. headquarters in Manhattan.

“Irv Gotti and Murder Inc., that’s literally down the street from my grandma’s house,” he said in an interview. “When I used to take my grandmother’s clothes to the cleaners, I passed where Murder Inc. basically started at.”

Passion for Poker

Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. (“Irv Gotti”), a producer and record executive born June 26, 1970 whose work with Def Jam and Murder Inc. made him a hip-hop mogul, died after suffering his second stroke in less than a year, according to Rolling Stone.

In an eerie turn, Gotti’s brother later revealed he had suffered his stroke during a poker game while eating Chinese food. The record executive was a big poker fan and amassed $44,106 in Hendon Mob earnings.

“So R.I.P. to the OG,” said Waka Flocka Flame. “Shoutout to Irv Gotti. That’s a sad one right there. Protect your health, man. Health is wealth. The only problem you’ll ever have in your life with a billion dollars in your pocket is health. So watch out.”

Waka Flocka Flame, whose 2010 debut album Flockaveli set the blueprint for the trap rap explosion of the next decade, was further introduced to Gotti and the hip-hop world through his mother, Debra Antney, who has managed high-profile rap artists like Gucci Mane and Nicki Minaj.

“My mother is god in the flesh,” said Waka Flocka Flame. “My mother is my messiah … Whatever she do, whatever she in, Imma follow her. My mother could get in the pizza business, I’m going in the pizza business. Whatever my mother does, I’m going to follow her. And whenever I see her … drop pebbles, I’m picking up the pebbles for her. I’m here to serve my (mother) … I love my mother.”

Hard on da Felt

In recent years, Waka Flocka Flame has shifted from hip-hop toward promoting meme coins and vocally supporting President Donald Trump. He was also involved in a controversy earlier this year where he lied on social media about getting assaulted to make a point about the spread of unverified information.

But after his debut in the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, where he finished seventh in the single-table event, Waka Flaka Flame may turn his attention to poker.

“I was comfortable and nervous at the same time, but now I’ve figured out that I might have a career playing poker,” he said. “I might have a good career playing poker.”

The rapper is a newcomer to the game and said he always lost when playing on tour buses. But now that he has some “new poker friends” like Bryce Hall and Tana Mongeau, he’s ready to take his game to the next level.

“I can go through college and high school. Once I graduate, I’m kicking ass,” he said. “Y’all gonna see me back here. I’m definitely going to win the belt, for sure. For sure.”

Waka Flocka Flame isn’t the first rapper to try their luck on the Celebrity Poker Tour. Houston rap legend Bun B played a February 2024 event, while fellow Texas rapper Maxo Kream battled in November 2024’s CPT Championship.

Head to the Celebrity Poker Tour YouTube channel to watch the full stream of CPT Game Night V.

Connor Richards is an Editor & Live Reporter for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for two Global Poker Awards for his writing.

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