Rappers have been signing their own death certificates just by entering the game. The music industry has added a new part into rappers’ contracts: their deaths.
The rapping industry has an age limit. When most people think of a rapping age limit, the thought is most likely the probable age of rappers before they start to become irrelevant: rappers get old and sometimes fade into obscurity. But for me, a rapping age limit is the countdown until another very young rapper dies.
Of course, young rappers have died in the past, like the Notorious BIG, Eazy E, and Tupac, but the rate has increased dramatically in the last two decades. Pop Smoke (20), FGD Duck (26), King Von (26), Young Dolph (36), PnB Rock (30), and most recently Takeoff (28) all died in the span of 2 years. What is the cause of this?
Of course, young rappers have died in the past, like the Notorious BIG, Eazy E, and Tupac, but the rate has increased dramatically in the last two decades. Pop Smoke (20), FGD Duck (26), King Von (26), Young Dolph (36), PnB Rock (30), and most recently Takeoff (28) all died in the span of 2 years. What is the cause of this?
Social Media and Egos
The egos of new-age rappers are high, and this directly ties in with the use of social media. The rappers are quick to take to Instagram, Snapchat, and/or Twitter to boast and flex their money. But with their success comes jealousy and anger. This makes them the targets of people who are jealous of them, like in the case of Pop Smoke. Pop Smoke posted a video clip on Instagram showing off his new Armani bags, but in the process, he accidentally showed his address; the next day, during a home invasion, he was killed. Often, this happens inadvertently, like when PnB Rock's girlfriend posted their location on social media while on a date at a California restaurant, and a family shot and robbed him an hour later at the same location.
Social media still has a large impact on how rappers should handle themselves. This event brought to the attention of others—not just rappers, but regular people—that you shouldn't post your location while you are still at that location for safety reasons because you never know who is watching, who is envious, and who is just plain evil.
Egos overall are just debilitating to a rapper's health. The rappers feel the need to uphold their gangster image, feeling the need to prove they're "about that life" because that's what they portray in their music, music videos, and social media. But using social media to prove they are "about that life" can lead to rappers engaging in deranged behaviors that, at their stage in their career, they usually don't need to do because of their current success. They act and think in these violent ways, and because they are now this star, they assume that nothing will happen to them. Like with the death of Take Off from the rapping group Migos: the other member of Migos, Quavo, was playing dice and then an argument sparked. This resulted in Take Off, Quavo's literal nephew, who wasn't even involved in the game, being shot and killed.
Social media has now become an outlet where people feel comfortable enough to videotape a rapper on the ground after they have been brutally shot and are now fighting for their life. My first encounter was after FGD Duck was shot 2 years ago and died. I was scrolling through Twitter and saw the tweets about him being shot with videos of him on the ground directly attached to it. By the time I saw the video of Takeoff dying on my feed, I was still disheartened, but I didn't feel all the emotional effects because this wasn't my first time seeing a video like this--and at this rate, sadly, it won't be the last.
Social media still has a large impact on how rappers should handle themselves. This event brought to the attention of others—not just rappers, but regular people—that you shouldn't post your location while you are still at that location for safety reasons because you never know who is watching, who is envious, and who is just plain evil.
Egos overall are just debilitating to a rapper's health. The rappers feel the need to uphold their gangster image, feeling the need to prove they're "about that life" because that's what they portray in their music, music videos, and social media. But using social media to prove they are "about that life" can lead to rappers engaging in deranged behaviors that, at their stage in their career, they usually don't need to do because of their current success. They act and think in these violent ways, and because they are now this star, they assume that nothing will happen to them. Like with the death of Take Off from the rapping group Migos: the other member of Migos, Quavo, was playing dice and then an argument sparked. This resulted in Take Off, Quavo's literal nephew, who wasn't even involved in the game, being shot and killed.
Social media has now become an outlet where people feel comfortable enough to videotape a rapper on the ground after they have been brutally shot and are now fighting for their life. My first encounter was after FGD Duck was shot 2 years ago and died. I was scrolling through Twitter and saw the tweets about him being shot with videos of him on the ground directly attached to it. By the time I saw the video of Takeoff dying on my feed, I was still disheartened, but I didn't feel all the emotional effects because this wasn't my first time seeing a video like this--and at this rate, sadly, it won't be the last.
Past Lives
Then there are those who are truly "about that life" and are entering the industry with a big target on their back. They racked up crimes and enemies using rap as an outlet to talk and/or insulate their involvements. Their baggage eventually follows them to the point of destruction, like YNW Melly. He was on a high trajectory of his career, but after his song "Murder on My Mind," he was quickly taken to jail on the assumption that the song talked about him directly murdering a friend who died the same way he had described killing. In the case of Lil TJay, he was shot 7 times because of the rivals he had made before becoming a rapper (he survived).
This can even extend to their past involvement with drugs. With their past lives already being filled with drugs, the pressures of rap can get to them mentally, causing them to use again because they don't want to relive their pain. Sadly, this was the case with Mac Miller, who died of an overdose.
With these rappers' past lives, you would think they would want to have security. However, rather than hiring actual security, they keep their friends from their lives before rap around them who are "down to ride for them" in the hopes that they will stand up for them when the time comes. But in the end, the rapper is the one that gets killed, and their friends continue their lives as if nothing happened. King Von died because of a fight that broke out between him and another rapper. If King Von would've had actual security, he might not have died, but instead, one of his friends shot their gun and started a shootout, which in the end resulted in King Von’s death.
This is not to negate the fact that older rapers have done the same, coming from gang-involved backgrounds. But the difference between them is that when they "make it" in the mainstream, they might still rap about their lives, but they put some distance between that and their career. The reason why Jay Z, Diddy, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg are not getting shot is because they know that rap is not going to be sustainable; it is there to cause targets and danger. So in response, they invested themselves in other avenues, from making record labels to help the new incoming crowd of rappers to clothing brands to creating their own shows.
This can even extend to their past involvement with drugs. With their past lives already being filled with drugs, the pressures of rap can get to them mentally, causing them to use again because they don't want to relive their pain. Sadly, this was the case with Mac Miller, who died of an overdose.
With these rappers' past lives, you would think they would want to have security. However, rather than hiring actual security, they keep their friends from their lives before rap around them who are "down to ride for them" in the hopes that they will stand up for them when the time comes. But in the end, the rapper is the one that gets killed, and their friends continue their lives as if nothing happened. King Von died because of a fight that broke out between him and another rapper. If King Von would've had actual security, he might not have died, but instead, one of his friends shot their gun and started a shootout, which in the end resulted in King Von’s death.
This is not to negate the fact that older rapers have done the same, coming from gang-involved backgrounds. But the difference between them is that when they "make it" in the mainstream, they might still rap about their lives, but they put some distance between that and their career. The reason why Jay Z, Diddy, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg are not getting shot is because they know that rap is not going to be sustainable; it is there to cause targets and danger. So in response, they invested themselves in other avenues, from making record labels to help the new incoming crowd of rappers to clothing brands to creating their own shows.
Record Executives
Lastly, record executives have a huge effect on the lives of their clients. These record executives push them to continue to make songs and create a culture obsessed with death, drugs, and money. The industry is obsessed with it and is able to earn money from it. Is this why rappers feel the need to uphold their gangster image in reality? Because, in return, they make money off of it that lets their record label make money off of it, and in turn the record label gives them more money, making this a repeating cycle?
However, in addition to promoting their clients' involvement in these dangerous personas, record companies will also insert a death clause into their contracts. A "death clause," a standard practice, is when record labels are able to take out life insurance policies on their artists. This can make a rapper make more money dead than alive, like Juice Wrld or XXXtenicion, because typically more people will flock to the rappers after they're dead, and the record labels are able to directly capitalize off of this. They use their rapper persona to capitalize off their numbers until the next rapper comes out.
However, in addition to promoting their clients' involvement in these dangerous personas, record companies will also insert a death clause into their contracts. A "death clause," a standard practice, is when record labels are able to take out life insurance policies on their artists. This can make a rapper make more money dead than alive, like Juice Wrld or XXXtenicion, because typically more people will flock to the rappers after they're dead, and the record labels are able to directly capitalize off of this. They use their rapper persona to capitalize off their numbers until the next rapper comes out.
"The gangster energy, it's part of the culture. Hip-hop music is the closest thing to street culture. So you're going to see more casualties. That energy lives. There's about 700 unsolved murders in hip-hop. For some reason, hip-hop loves things that are damaged, me being a part of it.” - 50 Cent
Every occupation has its hiccups and hazards, but when it comes to the public eye, hip-hop/rap artists seem to have a lot more of these. At this point in society, picking up the mic seems more dangerous than regular jobs. It just leaves the listeners and fans to guess: Who is next to go?
Every occupation has its hiccups and hazards, but when it comes to the public eye, hip-hop/rap artists seem to have a lot more of these. At this point in society, picking up the mic seems more dangerous than regular jobs. It just leaves the listeners and fans to guess: Who is next to go?
bETTY RIVERS
