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I’ve never had tears in my eyes for someone I’ve never met, except for the assassination of Nipsey Hussle. This man’s murder had a profound effect on me. I watched an interview with Maino at the Breakfast Club, where Charlamagne said tha God said what I’d been thinking. If that can happen to Nipsey, God forbid, it could happen to any of us. The rapper Kodak Black had made some offhanded remarks about rendezvousing with Lauren London, Nipsey’s wifey, but he seemed to reference her grieving less compassionately.
Kodak Black later apologized, but his justification sounded arrogant. His mannerism and choice of words showed no compassion for the situation. That provoked T.I……. and The Game, but according to media reports from TMZ and VladTV, Kodak believed T.I……. wanted to be the first person to hit on Lauren London since Nipsey is no longer with us. As I watched T.I. explain why he got agitated with Kodak Black, I had my thoughts. As black people or Africans, we can’t do anything alone, but we can move mountains together.
I wondered if we were ready to join hands and move mountains. Can we, as black people, step up? We can’t keep killing each other and then blame the proverbial white man for oppressing our race. Didn’t Kanye West say slavery was a choice? Maybe we should have asked him for his definition of slavery. Like, are we slaves to the streets? Why do we make all this money and still want to run on the roads? We all have access to the land. We can plant and grow our food. We can teach our children, and we can love our women. We can save money.
My album, “Laboramus Exspectantes,” was about – labor and expecting, working hard, and hoping to be paid. These young guys between 18 and 29 probably think the older heads (30 to 45) are just hating on them. They don’t realize that we were just like them before some were born. When older cats speak on something like the assassination of Nipsey Hussle, we see it as a what if that was me… type of thing. We have a little more to live for, so we wonder how to protect our loved ones and secure our property.
If that can happen to Nipsey, God forbid, it could happen to any of us. “
Certain Immortality
When a police person decides to gun down an unarmed civilian, we wonder what, if God forbid, that was us, our family would do. What will our friends do? How would our domain persevere if we should fall like many others who have met an untimely demise? That is why Kodak Black’s comments were out of pocket. He was only thinking about himself and how he would acquire this beautiful widow. That’s some cold shit. We don’t know what happened. All we can tell is that Nip is gone. He never saw it coming, and neither did we.
Regarding the who and the why I can’t burn another brother on the words of TMZ or CNN. It looks fishy that O. J. Simpson’s former prosecutor will defend Nipsey’s alleged killer. However, you can’t see the shooter’s face clearly in the footage. You can see someone do the deed but can’t say who he is. It’s the media and police that said who it is. It could be, or it could not. The so-called shooter was reportedly on I.G., denying his involvement in the offense. Speaking for myself, I know if I don’t have it, I don’t have it.
No one I can call will slide me a stack just on the strength of our relationship. That shooter is supposed to be broke, yet he could come up with such a high-profile lawyer? It makes one wonder if conspiracy theories have some truth in them. If they do and a person from the neighborhood pulls the trigger, then one can also wonder if it is wise to return to the community after one becomes successful. Nipsey had made it; he got floor seats at the Staple Center, dated a Hollywood bombshell, drove luxury cars, had high-profile celebrity friends, was a family man, and flourished in his music career. Should he have moved away?
If a person from the neighborhood pulled the trigger than one can also wonder if it is wise to return to the community after one…”
There are photos of Kodak Black smiling on Nipsey Hussle’s face online. I’ve seen Nipsey’s Instagram or Twitter post promoting a Kodak Black song. When Nipsey met his demise, Kodak spoke of Lauran London’s grief as pointless. He disassociated himself from “dude” as they were never friends or associates. A separate question should go to Kodak Black, asking him what if, God forbid, he faced such a demise. God forbid, would he want someone to pull up on his widow while being disrespectful? They had not even buried Nipsey yet. The grief was still fresh, yet he didn’t have the conscience to show compassion.
As I was saying earlier, for me, when I don’t have it, I don’t have it. The only person I can call for help is my mother, but she might have a limit. Anybody I call might ask for an explanation, shame me for needing the support, and then give me an excuse or dismissal as to why they can’t look out for me. That’s my reality. So in that regard, I would be amazed at how Nipsey’s alleged killer got arrested so quickly and hired a hire profile lawyer immediately. The scary part is when you start getting older and assume more mortality.
I know I’m not bulletproof. I know that, God forbid, once someone is gone, they’re out of here forever. This world was here long before we were born and will be here even longer than that after we’re all gone. I have been lucky to travel a bit, visiting museums and seeing how many great people and civilizations have come and gone. Brilliant, strong, courageous, and outstanding people – all gone. I realize that I also will be gone, and this tragedy has caused me to think about my legacy and how long it will last before those future generations remove them to make way for their own. Mother nature does her part in erasing your footprints from the sand.
The entire experience of our life from our perspective is based on consciousness. It’s based on our waking moment and ability to feel, see, hear, perceive, taste, and sense. That is what enables us to experience life. When you’re young, you drive recklessly; you put your life at unnecessary risk, have unprotected sex with strangers, and make all sorts of mistakes you later cringe at when you look back. The fact that many of us make it to old age is a miracle. You’ll find that family is far more critical. Even so, it is the consciousness of the higher power. So you check yourself. You practice respect for others, morals, values, and human decency.
When other people face their untimely demise, show compassion because you consider yourself in that situation and know you are not the only person on the planet. I know I can’t see who the shooter is in that video. The footage is super grainy. I also know that I don’t trust the people bearing the news. In this case, the LAPD is trying its best, but I can hardly trust anyone. Not going to fake my death or anything like Tupac did, but I’m about to enroll in a university and study for my Master’s Degree in Journalism. After what they did to Nipsey, after all the protesting against police brutality, economic disenfranchisement, and the fall of the heterosexual family, Black on black crime continues to be an issue. It’s not worth it if I was Pac after getting shot that second time. Shit, it’s not worth it.
After what they did to Nipsey, after all the protesting against police brutality, economic disenfranchisement and the fall of the heterosexual family…
Boosie explained my life right down to the letter. In my hood? I was nobody. Everybody was stepping up to me to give me advice. Like, “oh, you’re 21, and you’re still in yo mama’s house?” “Why are you studying theater?” “Oh, you think you’re smart now, using big words?” That’s when I was broke. Soon as I moved out, bought a Cadillac (the Deville was my dream car at the time), and started looking fresh, they were like, “you know money isn’t everything.” “Oh, don’t let it go to your head now.” “Oh, you remember where you come from?” “Don’t make music like that.”
Meanwhile, I’m just trying to eat some Jollof rice and a slice of that Thanksgiving turkey. I couldn’t even mention my success. Nobody wanted to hear it. Please don’t bring it up, son; you’re bragging. But outside of my hood??? It’s true. The ones you love, care about, and wanna ride for? They’re the ones that dog you. This is so true. I’m African and don’t know where I’d be buried when my time comes. It might be enshrined in Europe, Canada, or America. Smh. That’s not even counting other black people.*
