The Hennepin County Medical Examiners Office has released the cause of death for young Minnesotan rapper Lexii Alija. Alijai died earlier this month.
People reported the examiner as saying, “This individual died due to mixed fentanyl and ethanol toxicity.” Her death has been ruled as accidental.
She was found at the Loews Minneapolis Hotel in Minnesota and was only 21-years-old, and just six weeks from her 22nd birthday.
Alijai was considered to have a promising career ahead of her, which was tragically cut short. She was best known for her two albums released while she was still a teenager, Joseph’s Coat in 2015 and Growing Pains in 2017. She was due to release another album later this year, Come Back Soon.
There was an outpouring of grief from the music industry at the time of her death. Her grandfather had been the late singer-songwriter, Roger Troutman, so the family was well connected to the industry.
The Oakland based R & B singer Kehlani posted a tribute on Instagram. “I’m so sick. I’m so angry. I’m confused, and my heart is broken. I don’t know why this happened,” she wrote.
“You were a star to me because every word you spoke was true,” Kehlani continued, “and then [you] TELL THE STORIES SO BEAUTIFULLY.”
Kehlani collaborated with Alijai for 2015’s Jealous.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6zFSNVJNl7/?utm_source=ig_embed
Last week it was announced by family and friends that there would be a memorial benefit concert happening on February 19 with the aim of launching a scholarship fund in Alijai’s name. Kehlani will headline the concert.
LEXII ALIJAI DAY IN MINNEAPOLIS MN. TICKETS UP TOMORROW 9 AM. ALL PROCEEDS TO HER FAMILY & FOUNDATION. pic.twitter.com/liKzI8SqDR
— Kehlani (@Kehlani) January 23, 2020
The St.Paul Central High School has set up a gofundme.com page in the hope of creating a recording arts scholarship so that other young folk can follow in Alijai’s musical footsteps.
Fentanyl and ethanol
Combining fentanyl and ethanol is considered very dangerous as both can affect your breathing and respiratory system. Fentanyl is similar to morphine and heroin but is regarded as 50 to 100 times more powerful. It acts quickly to depress the central nervous system. It is associated with the current opioid epidemic sweeping the United States.
Tragically, Alijai was not the only successful rapper to pass away in the last couple of months, Juice Wrld died in December, also due to substance abuse. His death was ruled as a result of Oxycodone and codeine toxicity.
May they both rest in peace.