Family of slain rapper asking for leads in fatal shooting

Tavache Kizer. Photo from Cook County Crime Stoppers.

Relatives of a rapper who was shot and killed in the South Shore neighborhood last year will gather Saturday to pass out fliers asking for leads to solve his killing.

Tavache Kizer, who rapped under the name “Trife,” was shot Oct. 7, 2013, after he stopped in the 7300 block of South Dorchester to have a neighborhood mechanic fix his car, according to Cook County Crime Stoppers.

Two suspects on foot approached and shot him in the head, authorities said at the time. Kizer, 38, of the 7600 block of South Phillips Avenue, died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital a day later.

His brother Larry “Shaciaren” Kizer told the Sun-Times that Trife strived to create a positive vibe with his music. They created a nonprofit, “Royalt2y” to reach out to young people.

“My brother understood that hip-hop is one of the most influential tools in America. ‘The power of life and death is in the tongue,’ he used to say, quoting Scripture.”

At the time he died, Tavache Kizer was working with his brother to make the final edits of his new video, “Respect the Youth,” dedicated to young people killed in gun violence.

“It was ironic that the last thing he wanted in that video were scenes of emptiness — empty playgrounds, basketball courts, swings and school hallways. Now, he has become a victim of the violence,” his brother said.

Tavache Kizer’s family plans to distribute fliers Saturday morning near 75th and Dorchester asking for anyone with information to come forward, Crime Stoppers said.

Anyone can leave an anonymous tip at the Crime Stoppers hotline, 1-800-535-7867 or text a tip to 27637 along with the word CPD. Callers can receive a $1,000 cash reward for information leading to an arrest.