Tragedy struck for the family, friends, and fans of Milwaukee rapper Funny $Money. The 33-year-old rapper, also known as Quentene E. Williams, was found shot dead with 21-year-old Dequaiseon D. Evans in a recording studio in Milwaukee on August 18th 2026. Currently, an unnamed 28-year-old has been arrested for the crime, according to WISN12 News.
The victim’s sister, Quita, responded in devastation to the tragedy, describing her brother as a “funny person.” Additionally, his nephew TJ recalled the heartbreaking last words he heard from his uncle before he left. “The last thing I said to my uncle was, ‘I love you and be safe.’ He said, ‘I’m always safe.’ That was it,” he said.
In a December 2025 interview on the Kid L Podcast, Funny $Money recalled how seeing Larry Bird and Gwapo Chapo, fellow rappers in the Milwaukee scene, start to blow up inspired him. Admittedly, he found himself frequently caught up in the street life to ever look at music too seriously. But seeing proof that people in his city could make a life from rapping, $Money could do it too. Once he got out of prison, he would start to take a career in hip-hop seriously.
Milwaukee Rapper Funny $Money Tragically Passed Away in Devastating Shooting
“I love rap… but I was too focused on the street life,” he told the podcast. “Once I realized, like, I can do this, and I don’t care for the image they got for the city? I know I’m a real one, authentic, I can do it and I know they’re gonna f**k with it…. Why not give it a shot?”
Pitchfork described Funny $Money as a source of consistency in a very tumultuous hip-hop scene. He proved to be a serious workhorse, constantly dropping mixtapes for his devout fanbase.
In a larger exploration of the Milwaukee rap scene in 2023, Pitchfork honed in on how artists like Funny $Money make a lot with a little. Still, through its dizzying tempos, fun party jams, and sizzling street anthems, it has a distinct identity for itself.
“The scene is proudly insular, fun, and fast-moving,” writer Alphonse Pierre said. “It’s generally unbothered with soundtracking the lives of anyone outside of Milwaukee, and not a week goes by nowadays without the release of wildly singular and thrilling music. The songs can be romantic, wounded, fly, fun, comedic, or just some trap s**t, and they’re almost always delivered with a signature flamboyance.”
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