Violence and hip-hop have always gone hand in hand. Rather it be rappers documenting the death and disparity within the hoods they were raised in or the death that they claim to have inflicted upon others. Nevertheless, guns and rap go together like ham and cheese. Artists are glorified for living by the street codes in which they rap about.

Newcomer Da Baby has proven time and time again that he’s about his issue. The twenty six year old MC was forced to take the life of a man who attempted to rob him while out shopping with his family. The rapper acted in self defense, no doubt and it does not appear that he will face any charges. In February of this year, up and coming rapper YNW Melly was arrested for the murders of his two close friends, a claim that the rapper and his camp adamantly deny. Controversial Baton Rouge rapper, NBA Youngboy was the target of a deadly shooting in Miami during the Rolling Loud festivities. While he was not hurt, an innocent bystander succumbed to the shooting, while his girlfriend was also wounded. Just a few months later, Chicago rapper Lil Durk turned himself in to face charges following a shooting in February where authorities allege to have video footage of Lil Durk firing his weapon in a shooting that left one man seriously injured. With every new shooting, rather the artist allegedly pulls the trigger or is the victim, one thing is painfully clear; a rapper can earn millions, have all the finest of jewels and cars that money can buy, yet the hood never seems to be too far behind. 

There was a time where women and children were off limits to the violence in the streets. Unfortunately, our favorite dolo city girl, Yung Miami, was no exception to the violence. However, on August 6th, Yung Miami, who’s real name is Caresha Brownlee, went live on her Instagram to tell fans that her G-Wagon had been shot at as she was leaving a recording studio in Miami, Florida. Thankfully, the bullet only struck her spare tire located on the rear of the vehicle. As many of you know, Yung Miami is expecting her second child with superstar Chicago producer, Southside of 808 Mafia. At this time, officials have no suspects nor do they have a motive for this shooting. However, the timing of the shooting has the internet buzzing.

Kodak Black dropped a freestyle from jail where he disses the Miami rapper, even going so far as to threaten to hit her in her stomach, knowing that she is an expectant mother. Social media immediately began to drag Kodak Black, calling for fans to cancel the troubled rapper once and for all. Yung Miami later took to Instagram again to thank fans for the prayers and to assure us that both she and her unborn baby girl are doing just fine. It is unclear if her group mate, JT, who is currently completely a federal prison sentence, is aware of the shooting. The City Girls have faced many obstacles during their quick ascension to fame. Hopefully this latest blow will not hinder their bags in any way.  We will continue to send positive energy to our good sis and her family. 

In the world of entertainment, making it out of the hood is a triumphant feat. It is the expectation that once you make it, you only return to show love, do some charity work and hit the ground running back to the hills once your good deed is accomplished. Somewhere along the lines, hip-hop artists were held to a different standard. It is almost required for a rapper to constantly dwell in the hood to show that they are still down, still connected to their roots. The question is why? Millionaires walking around freely with thousands of dollars worth of jewelry on amongst people who are still living in poverty is sure to ignite jealousy and even a robbery plot.

The death of Nipsey Hussle in his neighborhood, unarmed and without security cut us all deeply. The tragedy should serve as a cautionary tale of what can occur when envy comes into play,  even when you are only trying to show love to your community. What is the solution? Is it gun control? Is it never returning to the place that you once called home? How can we protect our beloved hip-hop community from the dark cloud of gun violence that seems to hover over it? As a hip-hop fan, nothing is sadder than seeing our favorite artists being targeted or involved in street drama that stems from their past lives. This deadly trend seems to be on the rise. Let’s keep our beloved artists lifted up in prayer. The world cannot take another loss like the one that we all felt on March 31st, 2019.