These Black Men Deserved To Grow Old

As a big rap ad hip-hop music fanatic, I pay attention to the lives of many rappers I listen to or even rappers always in the blogs. So I’ve vividly noticed how gun violence has robbed a lot of artists of their lives in the past 5 years, and has even robbed the black community of our fathers, brothers, sons, cousins, and uncles. From CNN: “Gun violence – whether through robbery or disagreement – has killed at least one rapper who was either already famous or on the cusp of crossover fame.” These talented artists deserved nothing, but stress-free lives so they could work on their crafts. These men also had girlfriends, daughters, and mothers that loved them dearly, black women are constantly affected by their deaths too. As Mia Jaye would say, these black men deserved to grow old.

Nipsey Hussle: Airmiess Asghedom, was an amazing father, boyfriend, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and award-winning artist from Crenshaw, CA. He was killed in March 2019 in front of his own clothing store ‘The Marathon’ in Los Angeles. CNN: “Beyond his music and businesses, Nipsey was a member of the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips but spoke out against rappers who would boast of purported gang affiliations to stunt or look cool”. This black man deserved to grow old.

Pop Smoke: Bashar Jackson, was a talented 20-year-old out of Brooklyn, NY. Pop Smoke was killed during a home invasion at his home in California in February 2020. Before the death of Pop Smoke, his mixtape “Meet the Woo 2” was charting Top 10 on the Billboard 200 album charts. In any video you would see of Pop Smoke he was always smiling and dancing all around the place, he was honestly just a happy young adult. This black man deserved to grow old.

King Von: Dayvon Bennett, was a rapper and father out of Chicago, Illinois who was just beginning his stardom. He was also known for being the blood relative of another rapper Lil’ Durk who has been in the rap game since about 2014. King Von was shot during a petty fight that broke out with another rapper, Quando Rondo. King Von was killed in November 2020. Before his death, he had recently released his album Welcome to O’Block which was doing very well in the hip-hop community and plenty of his peers were sad to see him gone. This black man deserved to grow old. 

Now a death that really broke me was the next rapper …

Young Dolph: Adolph Thornton Jr. A rapper, mogul, and father out of Memphis, Tennessee. He was known for helping out his community and giving back to those in need. Young Dolph was shot while at Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in Memphis in November 2021. Before his death, you would see his name on several hits such as “Preach” and “RNB” featuring Megan Thee Stallion. He was an incredible artist, person, and father. This black man deserved to grow old. 

PnB Rock: Rakin Allen, a rapper, singer, and father out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PnB was known for his amazing vocals on songs and he was very popular in 2014. He was killed in an attempted robbery while he was out with his girlfriend and daughter eating at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles. This I could imagine would be very traumatizing to his girlfriend and daughter. So many celebrities were hurt by his death as he was seen as such a good person. This black man deserved to grow old. 

BLACK MEN DESERVE TO GROW OLD, campaigned by Mia Jaye, an entrepreneur, mother, and partner of the late rapper Young Dolph. Mia Jaye is the CEO of Momeo which is a social cause initiative that helps campaigns that support families going through hardships. She started “Black Men Deserve to Grow Old” after her brother was killed over a car deal “gone wrong”. Mia Jaye says she will continue to advocate for this cause “Because my black son matters. Because the odds of him living out a full life are heavily stacked against him. Because we need to acknowledge that mental health within the black community is REAL and we must heal. Because it has been systemically designed for our Black Men and Boys to be taken away, prematurely by death or handcuffs. And it must stop.”