Rapper Project Pat's 21-year-old son shot and killed in Memphis

The 21-year-old son of rapper Project Pat was shot and killed in Memphis earlier this month.

Memphis police told Entertainment Weekly on Thursday that Patrick Houston Jr. had been identified as the victim of a fatal shooting that occurred Jan. 10. Authorities previously said in a statement posted to social media, "At 1:15 p.m., officers responded to the area of Ketchum Road and Long Street regarding a shooting. Officers located a male victim with an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced deceased on the scene."

The investigation is ongoing, and further details were not available.

Project Pat, whose real name is Patrick Earl Houston, is a former member of the rap group the Kaze and the older brother of fellow rapper Juicy J, a co-founder of Three 6 Mafia. Project Pat is known for being featured on the Three 6 Mafia song "Sippin' on Some Syrup," released in 2000.

Local hip-hop artist and Three 6 Mafia associate Lil Wyte (Patrick Dhane Lanshaw), told the Memphis Commercial Appeal that he had sent his condolences to Project Pat in the wake of his son's death. "It's very sad," he said. "I [texted] him a pair of prayer hands."

Last October, Project Pat spoke to the Memphis TV station WREG about his faith and his prison ministry. "You know, God loves us so much that even in the process of doing crimes doing drugs, he still provides oxygen for us to breathe," he said.

He also set the record straight that while he went viral with an Arkansas church appearance, he's not officially a pastor.

"If they want to say I'm preaching, that's fine," he said. "I'm talking about God, so I am preaching. I'm never gonna say I'm not preaching. I am preaching."

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And while Project Pat has explored gospel influences, he assured that he's still a rapper at heart. "My thing is I do music," he explained. "I have songs with Christian artists already. If somebody reaches out, of course we can do something. One thing we're going to do is talk about the goodness and the love of God that's first and foremost."

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