I Rest My Case

It's a shame another life was lost in the hip-hop music world yesterday, but it's time for some accountability folks.

Now Detroit Police are saying that Proof, close friend to Eminem and best man at the rapper's recent wedding, shot another man yesterday before being fatally shot in the head himself at a Motor City nightclub. Why was he carrying a gun? Why was the other guy? And why would you want to hang out in a place where you felt you needed to pack heat in order to feel safe?

I don't want to hear anymore about these cats being unable to leave their tough backgrounds behind. We leave behind what we're not willing to tolerate and embrace what we approve of. Besides, half these rappers are fake suburbanites pretending to be thugs. And the rest choose to stay involved in the old life.

I love elements of the culture and some of the music, but I know there is a distinct line between entertainment and reality. It seems some in the music biz have forgotten that line. And as long as some of these guys walk around gun-slinging like they're in the OK Corral, believing the mob-themed lyrics they rhyme about, then they're gonna keep dying for no good reason.

This, my friends, was yet another example of "When Keepin' It Real Goes Wrong." Except this time it wasn't funny.