As hip-hop continues to grow in real estate alongside other genres in Tampa, one voice was rapidly gaining a following.
And suddenly, it was gone.
In a shock to friends, family, and fans, FBB Moody, real name Keith Booker, passed on Monday, February 27. As TBO.com reports, police were involved in a minor chase with Moody after he ran a stop sign; he turned his lights off and they ceased pursuit due to the chase policy. Minutes later while driving his Mercedes-Benz, Booker lost control of his vehicle and crashed off road. He is survived by his wife and five children; he was 34.
Florida legend Tom G doted on his experiences with Moody recently, stating, “Moody and I went way back. He knew I was great, and I knew he was great, what he was capable of, what he was going to do. It’s a great loss to the community, to our hood, to our Tampa scene, to just hip hop.”
A Florida representative and purveyor of “Skroll Music”, (a brand of Tampa Trap-Hop that resonates in Tom G’s catalog) Moody was constantly creating and focused with attaining leverage as one of Tampa’s signature voices. In 2016 and under his former name Gweetho 500, he released his debut project, Skroll God to critical praise in the Tampa Bay area. Songs like “Skroll God” shot his name into elite discussion due to his punchy delivery, crisp vocals, and unflinching descriptions of his life and times. He was known freestyler.
“The greatest freestyler I’ve ever seen,” Tom G told CL. “We would show up places and no disrespect to anyone, but we would shut it down. I didn’t see anybody on his level.”
Gaining notoriety for his freestyles and sharp wit, he was featured on the first edition of Rap Skool, a local recognition of movers and shakers in the Tampa scene. He went reinvented himself under the name FBB Moody and dropped his seminal EP G.I.F.T.S. in 2017, getting national buzz on Worldstar for his single “Old Me.” His motto of “Forget Being Broke” was a trademark known to the Tampa underground territory, giving hope for those facing the struggles he detailed in his music.
“It’s still a shock to me that he’s gone, but we have no other choice but to accept god's will in this trying time,” Tom G said. “He will remain forever a friend and a brother, and I hope Moody rests in peace.”
