Chris Thurston, an up-and-coming rapper who went by the stage name Jax of the Atlanta indie rap group Binkis Recs, passed out on stage during a show during his second verse of a song. The Queens, NY native was rushed to the hospital, and pronounced deceased some hours later due to cardiac arrest. He was 32. Funeral services for Jax were held on November 15 in his native Queens, NY. His mother, a brother, and his newlywed wife Lisa Thurston, whom he married a month prior to his death, survive him.

Jax’s work drew the attention of founding Tribe Called Quest member Phife, who along with DJ Rasta Root began working with Jax to jumpstart their independent label Smokin’ Needles Records. As a member of Binkis Recs (which included the well-regarded DJ Drama, who was the DJ of the group at one time), he rejected major labels and released six independent albums through iTunes.

Phife said in a radio interview, “I used to kid him and call him Ghostface Jr., with his whole swagger and the way he attacked the tracks. His energy was also similar to [Busta Rhymes’].”

Here is one of his videos, called “Who’s Jax”:

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