SOHH reports: Proof was murdered early this morning.
The news has hit me hard, but I didn't know I would feel any emotions towards a dead rapper. But that's the thing. I'm not seeing Proof as a rapper anymore. Instead he's Deshaun Holton, the black dude who loved rap music, and repped his hood. Just like me.
Remembering that there's a real person behind this murder story, I have some hopes for the media coverage of this in the next few weeks:
1. Rap doesn't kill people. So let's not bring that back up.
2. The beef between Detroit's "Chedda Boyz" and the murder of Blade Icewood seems like it could be related to Proof's shooting, so it's worth mentioning. However, the press should tread lightly - a misunderstanding about who killed Proof could lead to more violence at the Detroit street level.
3. There's no need to overstate Proof's importance to hip-hop or label him as the most underrated emcee, or anything silly like that. He was a man, and his life was taken from him, tragically. That's enough reason for him to be remembered and mourned.
R.I.P. Proof.
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