Slim 400/ Vincent Cohran (1988-2021)

February 21, 2022 
/ Contributed By: Samuel Momodu

Caught Slipping Mixtape Cover

Caught Slipping Mixtape Cover

Vincent “Slim 400” Cohran was a rapper. On June 21, 1988, Cohran was born to unnamed parents in Frankfurt, Germany. His father was stationed there while in the US Army. After Cochran’s birth, his father was transferred to the Los Angeles, California area. Cohran grew up in neighboring Compton, California, where he attended Compton High School with fellow students Eric “Eazy-E” Wright and Jayceon “The Game” Taylor. Compton High School was also notoriously known as the center of the Crips and rival Bloods street gangs. Cohran became a member of the Bloods gang while attending Compton High School.

When Cohran was 19 years old, he was almost killed while driving in a Crip neighborhood where he and a fellow passenger were shot and wounded by Crips. Cohran survived but the passenger did not. In 2008, 20-year-old Cohran would meet fellow rappers and Bloods gang members Keenon Dequan “YG” Ray Jackson and Dijon Isaiah “Mustard” McFarlane. One year later with their help he released his first mixtape, High Off Treez.

Cochran released other mixtapes during his career, including Keepin It 400 (2014), Foe Block (2015), Foe Block II (2017), Foe Reala (2018), Shake Back (2020), and Bompton (2021). During his rap career, Cohran has worked with hip-hop artists including Y.G. Aldolph Robert “Young Dolph” Thornton Jr, Calvin Cordozar “Snoop Dogg” Broadus Jr, NeShawn Brown “Compton AV” McCuien, and Timothy Cornell “Mozzy” Patterson. Some of Cohran popular songs released during his career included “Piru,” “Goapele,” “Fake Shit,” “Straight Up Bompton,” “Brackin Thru the Ghetto,” “Shake Back,” “How I’m Livin,” “Nothing But Bloods,” “No Nintendo,” and “Been Whoopin.” While Cochran produced numerous mixtapes and had some success as a touring rapper, none of his mixtapes or his singles ever sold 500,000 units, the standard for a “hit” record or album.

In 2019, Cohran, while vising his family in Compton, was shot nine times in a drive-by shooting by unknown assailants. He survived the shooting and remained in the hospital for two weeks while recovering. Two years later, on December 08, 2021, Cohran was shot and killed by an unknown gunman in Inglewood, California, at the age of 33. The case remains unsolved. Numerous fellow artists from Los Angeles and Compton including Snoop Dogg and Young Dolph paid tribute to Cochran following his murder which remains unsolved.

Cohran was survived by one daughter, Parris, who was born in 2009.

Author Profile

Samuel Momodu, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, received his Associate of Arts Degree in History from Nashville State Community College in December 2014 and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Tennessee State University in May 2016. He received his Master of Arts Degree in history from Southern New Hampshire University in June 2019.

Momodu’s main areas of research interest are African and African American History. His passion for learning Black history led him to contribute numerous entries to BlackPast.org for the last few years. Momodu has also worked as a history tour guide at President Andrew Jackson’s plantation home near Nashville, the Hermitage. He is currently an instructor at Tennessee State University. His passion for history has also helped him continue his education. In 2024, he received his Ph.D. in History from Liberty University, writing a dissertation titled The Protestant Vatican: Black Churches Involvement in the Nashville Civil Rights Movement 1865-1972. He hopes to use his Ph.D. degree to become a university professor or professional historian.

CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:

Momodu, S. (2022, February 21). Slim 400/ Vincent Cohran (1988-2021). BlackPast.org. https://new.blackpast.org/african-american-history/slim-400-vincent-cohran-1988-2021/

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