Is this just us or is this déjà vu? It started off with Tupac Shakur, followed by Notorious B.I.G., then Big L and Jam Master Jay, and now Proof of the platinum-selling rap group D12.
According to the Associated Press, one of D12’s founding members, Proof, was fatally shot Tuesday outside of the CCC Club in Detroit.
It seems like the high profile rap artists are dropping like flies and falling victim to their own success and lifestyle. When will the violence stop?
Just like the other cases, there are no leads to the murder and no surveillance camera footage from the club. Luckily there are witnesses that have come forward to speak about the incident.
It’s a little scary to think that not too long ago, Proof starred in Eminem’s “Toy Soldiers” video where the late rapper was shown being shot and then dying in the hospital.
The video’s irony becomes a dark and eery reality as life imitates art.
It saddens our hearts to know that violence in the music industry — especially rap and hip-hop — still exists.
Like the late, great Tupac Shakur said, “Give ’em guns, step back, and watch ’em kill each other” and that’s exactly what is going on in modern-day America.
It’s a shame that the mentality of some people is to give themselves the right, audacity and power to take someone’s else’s life without reservation or remorse.
Will we ever get to an era when violence being associated with hip-hop music is a thing of the past?
Hopefully, we will through enlightenment and the realization that our lives are worth more than gold.
Nyerere Davidson for the editorial board.