{{short description|American rapper}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Big Syke | image = Big Syke.jpg | birth_name = Tyruss Gerald Himes<ref name="obituary">{{cite web|url=http://obituary.lafuneral.com/obituary/Tyruss-Gerald-Himes/Hawthorne-CA/1678673|title=Tyruss Gerald Himes|access-date=2017-05-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606111602/http://obituary.lafuneral.com/obituary/Tyruss-Gerald-Himes/Hawthorne-CA/1678673|archive-date=2017-06-06|url-status=dead}}</ref> | birth_date = {{Birth date|1968|11|22}}<ref name="obituary" /> | birth_place = [[Inglewood, California]], U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|12|5|1968|11|22}} | death_place = [[Hawthorne, California]], U.S. | occupation = Rapper | alias = {{hlist|Syke|Mussolini|Little Psycho}} | genre = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]] | years_active = 1990–2016 | label = {{flatlist| * [[Interscope Records|Interscope]] * Treacherous * [[Death Row Records|Death Row]] * RideOnUm }} | past_member_of = {{hlist|[[Thug Life (band)|Thug Life]]|[[Outlawz]]}} }}
'''Tyruss Gerald Himes''' (November 22, 1968 – December 5, 2016), better known by his stage names '''Big Syke''' and '''Mussolini''', was an American [[rapper]] best known for his work with the American hip-hop groups [[Thug Life (band)|Thug Life]] and [[Outlawz]]. His stage name "Big Syke" is a revision of his childhood nickname "Little Psycho".<ref name=allmusicbio>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/big-syke-mn0000762055/biography |title=Big Syke | Biography & History |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=2016-12-06}}</ref> He died at his home in [[Hawthorne, California]], on December 5, 2016.<ref name="tmz"/>
==Career== Big Syke was born and raised in [[Inglewood, California]]. He was a member of the [[Crips|Imperial Village Crips]] in [[Inglewood, California]]. In 1990, Big Syke and fellow rappers Domino and Mental Illness started a hip-hop group named Evil Mind Gangstas.<ref name=allmusicbio /> In 1992, he met rapper [[Tupac Shakur|Tupac "2Pac" Shakur]]<ref name=allmusicbio /> and joined 2Pac's rap group [[Thug Life (band)|Thug Life]]. In 1995, he joined 2Pac's second rap group, [[Outlawz|The Outlaw Immortalz]], as Mussolini and recorded songs for 2Pac's 1996 album ''[[All Eyez on Me]]'', including "Picture Me Rollin{{' "}}, "When We Ride", "[[All Eyez on Me (Tupac Shakur song)|All Eyez On Me]]", and "Check Out Time".<ref name="tmz"/>
===Defamation suit=== On January 19, 2007, Big Syke, a friend of Shakur who was implicated in the [[murder of The Notorious B.I.G.]] by the Los Angeles [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[KTTV]] and [[XXL (magazine)|''XXL'' magazine]] in 2005, brought a [[defamation]] lawsuit regarding the accusations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 20, 2007 |title=Suit in slain rapper case is rejected |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-20-me-notorious20-story.html |access-date=July 19, 2023 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>
==Death== Big Syke died at his home in [[Hawthorne, California]], on December 5, 2016, at the age of 48 from natural causes, having had a history of heart issues and obesity.<ref name="tmz">{{cite web|url=https://www.tmz.com/2016/12/06/tupac-rapper-big-syke-dead|title=Rapper Big Syke Dead at 48|publisher=Tmz.com |date=December 6, 2016}}</ref> He was interred at [[Inglewood Park Cemetery]].
==Discography== {{Unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}
===Studio albums=== *''Be Yo' Self'' (October 15, 1996, Parole / RideOnUm Records) *''Big Syke Daddy'' (September 25, 2001, D3 Entertainment / RideOnUm Records) *''Street Commando'' (May 21, 2002, Riviera / RideOnUm Records) *''Big Syke'' (October 22, 2002, [[Rap-a-Lot Records|Rap-a-Lot]] / RideOnUm Records)
===Collaboration albums=== *With Evil Mind Gangsta's - ''All Hell Breakin' Loose'' (1992, Organize Records) *With [[Thug Life (group)|Thug Life]] - ''[[Thug Life: Volume 1|Thug Life Vol. 1]]'' (September 26, 1994, Out Da Gutta / [[Interscope Records|Interscope]]) *With 2Pac+Outlawz - Still I Rise
===Compilation albums=== *''Thug Law: Thug Life Outlawz Chapter 1'' (October 23, 2001, D3 Entertainment / RideOnUm Records) *''Thug Law: Thug Life Outlawz Chapter 2'' (September 2, 2003, RideOnUm Records)
===Mixtapes=== *''Thug Life: Demo Tape'' (with [[Thug Life (band)|Thug Life]]) (1994, [[Interscope Records|Interscope]]) *''Big Syke: Volume 1'' (July 27, 2007, Ghost Label) *''Big Syke: Reincarnated Volume 1'' (2007, Self-released)
===Guest appearances=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name thug life was also another album ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Artist(s) ! scope="col" | Album |- !scope="row"|"Say Whatcha Gotta Say" |1994 |[[Johnny "J"]], [[Y?N-Vee]] |''[[I Gotta Be Me]]'' |- !scope="row"|"[[All Eyez on Me (Tupac Shakur song)|All Eyez On Me]]" |rowspan="5"|1996 |[[2Pac]] |rowspan="4"|''[[All Eyez on Me]]'' |- !scope="row"|"Check Out Time" |[[2Pac]], [[Kurupt]] |- !scope="row"|"Picture Me Rollin'" |[[2Pac]], [[Danny Boy (singer)|Danny Boy]], [[Capital Punishment Organization|C.P.O.]] |- !scope="row"|"When We Ride" |[[2Pac]], [[Yaki Kadafi]], [[Hussein Fatal]], [[Napoleon (rapper)|Napoleon]], [[Kastro (Outlawz)|Kastro]], [[Mopreme Shakur]], [[E.D.I.]] |- !scope="row"|"Forever Ballin'" |[[Johnny "J"]] |''[[The Fan (soundtrack)|The Fan]]'' |- !scope="row"|"Ready 4 Whatever" |rowspan="6"|1997 |[[2Pac]] |rowspan="2"|''[[R U Still Down? (Remember Me)]]'' |- !scope="row"|"I'm Losin It" |[[2Pac]], [[Spice 1]] |- !scope="row"|"510.213" |[[Spice 1]], [[WC (rapper)|WC]] |''[[The Black Bossalini]]'' |- !scope="row"|"Mista Mista Dopeman" |Khayree, Confident One |rowspan="2"|''The Blackalation'' |- !scope="row"|"Pass Days" |Khayree |- !scope="row"|"Hittin' Cornaz" |DJ Ripley |''Lowrider 10: Ghetto Politix'' |- !scope="row"|"Raised In Hell" |rowspan="4"|1998 |[[C-Bo]] |''[[Til My Casket Drops]]'' |- !scope="row"|"Lifestyles of a G" |[[Knight Owl]] |''Wicked West'' |- !scope="row"|"Sexy Girl" |[[Nate Dogg]] |''[[G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2]]'' |- !scope="row"|"Jack Move" |[[Daz Dillinger]], [[Yaki Kadafi|Kadafi]], [[Napoleon (rapper)|Napoleon]], [[Hussein Fatal]], [[Kurupt]] |''Westside Riderz Vol. 1'' |- !scope="row"|"Letter to the President" |rowspan="3"|1999 |[[2Pac]], [[Outlawz]] |''[[Still I Rise (album)|Still I Rise]]'' |- !scope="row"|"All the Same" |[[5th Ward Boyz]], Kuirsham |''[[Keep It Poppin'|P.W.A.: The Album... Keep It Poppin']]'' |- !scope="row"|"Deep n the Game" |[[B-Legit]], Smilee G., [[Mac Shawn]] |''Cross Country Riiidahz'' |- !scope="row"|"Thug Thang" |2000 |[[Little Bruce]], [[Mopreme Shakur]], [[Kastro (Outlawz)|Kastro]] |''Give It to Me Baby!'' |- !scope="row"|"Rize" |rowspan="6"|2001 |[[Outlawz]] |''[[Novakane]]'' |- !scope="row"|"Good Life" |[[2Pac]], [[E.D.I.]] |rowspan="3"|''[[Until the End of Time (Tupac Shakur album)|Until the End of Time]]'' |- !scope="row"|Interlude |{{n/a}} |- !scope="row"|"M.O.B." |[[2Pac]], [[Hussein Fatal]], [[Mopreme Shakur]], [[Yaki Kadafi]] |- !scope="row"|"I Rock the Gangsta Shit" |[[Knight Owl]] |''Bald Headed Kingpin'' |- !scope="row"|"Please Believe It" |Jerzey Mob, Nutt-So, [[Outlawz]] |''Jerzey Mob Vol. 1'' |- !scope="row"|"There U Go" |rowspan="7"|2002 |[[2Pac]], [[Kastro (Outlawz)|Kastro]], [[Yaki Kadafi|Kadafi]], [[Young Noble]], [[Jazze Pha]] |''[[Better Dayz]]'' |- !scope="row"|"It Is What It Is" |[[Kastro (Outlawz)|Kastro]] & [[E.D.I.]], Wack Deuce |''[[Blood Brothers (Kastro and E.D.I. album)|Blood Brothers]]'' |- !scope="row"|"Dogged Out" |[[Ol' Dirty Bastard]], [[Too Short]] |''[[The Trials and Tribulations of Russell Jones]]'' |- !scope="row"|"Stick 2 the Plan" |[[Outlawz]] |rowspan="2"|''[[Neva Surrenda]]'' |- !scope="row"|"Pleasure of Sin" |[[Outlawz]], [[Yukmouth]] |- !scope="row"|"Nigga Wake Up" |[[Mac Mall]] |''[[Mackin Speaks Louder Than Words]]'' |- !scope="row"|"Killa Cali" |[[Bad Azz (rapper)|Bad Azz]] |''The Best Kept Secretz, Vol. 1'' |- !scope="row"|"Seven Digits" |rowspan="2"|2003 |Cold Blue, Lord G |''Premeditated'' |- !scope="row"|"I'm the Shit" |Vader |''Screwed Up Texas Presents: Knock, Vol. 1'' |- !scope="row"|"Loyal to the Game (DJ Quik Remix)" |rowspan="4"|2004 |[[2Pac]], [[DJ Quik]] |''[[Loyal to the Game]]'' |- !scope="row"|"Lately" |[[Knight Owl]], [[Jayo Felony]], Slush The Villain |''The Ghetto Bird'' |- !scope="row"|"Respect Mine" |rowspan="2"|Gangsta Nutt, G-Money |rowspan="2"|''Checkmate'' |- !scope="row"|"City of Rain" |- !scope="row"|"Movin' On" |rowspan="2"|2005 |Bigg Steele |''Size Duz Matter'' |- !scope="row"|"Life of Sin" |Seattle's First Family |''The Prophecy'' |- !scope="row"|"Don't Stop" |rowspan="3"|2006 |[[2Pac]], [[Young Noble]], [[Yaki Kadafi|Kadafi]], Stormey Coleman, [[Hussein Fatal]], [[E.D.I. Mean|EDIDON]] |''[[Pac's Life]]'' |- !scope="row"|"All Eyes on Us" |[[Spider Loc]] |''Bangadoshish'' |- !scope="row"|"City of Angels" |Mr. Trippalot, Dinero |''Los Angeles Gangsters'' |- !scope="row"|"Everyday Iz a Struggle" |rowspan="2"|2007 |[[Macadoshis]], [[Mopreme Shakur]], G-Money |''Tha Come Up'' |- !scope="row"|"Keepin' It G" |[[Young Noble]] & [[Hussein Fatal]], G-Dub |''[[Thug in Thug Out]]'' |- !scope="row"|"Haven't Seen U Smile" |rowspan="2"|2008 |Imaan Faith, [[Mopreme Shakur]] |''Let The Truth Be Told'' |- !scope="row"|"Killaz From Tha West" |DJ AK, [[Havoc & Prodeje|Big Prodeje]] |''Killaz From Tha West'' |- !scope="row"|"Pourin' Liquor" |rowspan="3"|2009 |Jediah, [[E.D.I.]] |''Outlaw Culture Vol. 1'' |- !scope="row"|"Killaz From Tha West (Remix)" |DJ AK, [[Havoc & Prodeje|Big Prodeje]] |''E.Sides and Unreleased'' |- !scope="row"|"Thug Life" |Jediah, [[Young Noble]] |''Outlaw Culture Vol. 2'' |- !scope="row"|"Streets Are Watching" |rowspan="4"|2010 |Snapper, Royal T |''The Connect 3: The Streets Are Watching'' |- !scope="row"|"Activated" |rowspan="2"|Bossolo |rowspan="3"|''Notorious B.O.S.S.: The Rebirth'' |- !scope="row"|"Cloudy Days" |- !scope="row"|"Reactivated" |Bossolo, [[Spice 1]], [[Daz Dillinger]] |- !scope="row"|"Boss Playaz Play" |2012 |DJ AK |''Gangsta Zone Party'' |- !scope="row"|"Inglewood 2 Da I" |rowspan="1"|2015 |Bossolo & Spice 1 |''Thug Therapy'' |- |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Discogs artist|Big Syke}} * {{IMDb name|id=3998929|name=Big Syke}} * [https://vimeo.com/lastthugstanding Big Syke] on [[Vimeo]] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAulfswSxH4&feature=channel_page Interview with Anton Batey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414060945/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAulfswSxH4&feature=channel_page |date=2016-04-14 }}
{{Big Syke}} {{Outlawz}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Syke}} [[Category:1968 births]] [[Category:2016 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American male rappers]] [[Category:20th-century American rappers]] [[Category:Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery]] [[Category:Crips]] [[Category:Gangsta rappers]] [[Category:G-funk artists]] [[Category:Musicians from Inglewood, California]] [[Category:Outlawz members]] [[Category:Rappers from Los Angeles]] [[Category:West Coast hip-hop musicians]] [[Category:20th-century African-American musicians]] [[Category:21st-century African-American rappers]] [[Category:21st-century American rappers]] [[Category:Rappers from California]] [[Category:21st-century African-American male rappers]] [[Category:21st-century American male rappers]]