Wednesday
Apr222009
True Hip-Hop Stories: The Homeless Emcee
This is the story of a homeless rapper I met on the streets of Brooklyn. I feel for him because it's quite obvious he suffered a great deal as a child. I don't agree with how he lived his life but everyone deserves to be forgiven.
*ADULT LANGUAGE
tagged 
Black, Homeless, True Hip-Hop Stories
Black, Homeless, True Hip-Hop Stories 
Reader Comments (100)
Yo, that was real. That piece really felt dark. I tried to find light in the fact he is a good emcee, but it fell short because I don't know if he really ever will get a chance to rebound. I hope he gets a chance to utilize his gift. I would have been really good on Def Poetry Jam.
D-Nice, you are doing a excellent job at this. Keep it up.
that comment should have been 'he would have been good on Def Poetry Jam". Sorry.
D, I dig your point...goodness....
Keep doing it...
I'll pray for that brother. Life is tough. I hope we all can make it.
Great video. Tragic on so many levels. Not the least of which is the fact that this man appears to be highly intelligent. Whomever or whatever is ultimately to blame, this is a terrible terrible waste of talent , smarts, and potential.
Mother is like God to a child. Whenever a child loses their mother at an early age, they seem to lose all hope. This dude is extremely talented. My question is, what can we do? What should we be doing? D, by doing this video, you may have planted a seed in this dude's heart. It may have ignited the fire in his belly. He will have to come to terms with cause and effect, you get what you put out but he can turn it around. Good work.
good work, d
i definitely feel where he brother is coming from. he's had lots of time to reflect on the choices he's made in his life, and the consequences of his own actions. he might not have been dealt a silver spoon in his youth, but he hasn't exactly lived the most positive life for himself and his kids either. i feel for the brother being out on the streets (we all fear that happening to us), but at the same time i don't see his motivation nor drive to make something better for himself. he's clearly got skills and the voice to be a sick rapper (or ghost writer). it pays the bills, and he could use whatever he can get right now (as can many of us who are out looking for jobs). bottom line is if you can think it, you can speak it, then you can live it! dare to dream big and chase those dreams down and make them manifest!
B-WARD
There is such hopelessness and loss in his eyes. He claims that he made a lot of money, so, he could have opened a business, went to school, but he is caught up in the thug life. I pity his situation, both as a child and adult, but we are in control of our destiny, and this dude gets no pity from me. The pity is in him making our brothers look bad.
Shit, I go hard, but if I saw him on the street, I would run.
Good shoot, the lighting is awesone.
Damn!!!! I need to do more!!!!
This was probably the most powerful piece in this series D. This dude lives a life most of us can't imagine and still finds it somewhere in his heart to keep rhyming. Don't get me wrong, a lot of his decisions led him to his current condition but you can't ignore the other circumstances that shaped his life. It's a sad commentary but at the same time it gets no realer than this. Keep up the great work my brother.
Great Piece, D.
Hip-Hop is therapeutic and it probably saved this man (or others for that matter) when times hit rock bottom.
This was reality of a struggle and true science for those that got it twisted.
His mind is his home.
D-Nice you’re doing a great justice for the children and something important for the preservation of this culture.
Thank you.
THAT was powerful! I give this brother alot of credit for still standing. Struggle definitely builds character, and outside of the WHAT he spoke I could see his character shine in HOW he spoke. You can notice at 5:22 when he says "That's where Hip Hop comes in..." I seen a bit of joy in his eyes as he said it. The tone even went up a level. It's obvious to me that God is using this brother to touch lives of many.
We have ALL fallen short, so I can't sit here and make one negative comment about this brother's lifestyle or what he's done. What I will do is praise him for what he didn't do, and that was to GIVE UP. For D-Nice to meet this cat was not coincidence. What I took from it is how truly blessed I am, and even HE is, to have a sane mind enough to know what's right or wrong. It took alot of courage for him to open up to the world like this, and I applaud him. D-Nice...1/2 of the applause is pointed in your direction as well! I seriously needed to see this today. THANK YOU! Peace.
I don't know how you met that brother or how it was set up, but it was nothing but God's doing! I'm not sure how many others felt, but it definately gave me a new perception of our homeless situation. This piece is going to help a lot of people D!!!!! God Bless you for having the courage and wisdom to share this story!
D, I really enjoyed this story.
I have mixed views and emotions. I agree with both points you made, his childhood def sounded rough.. but he had opportunities to change his life and circumstances! I'm gonna go on a lil spritual rant for a hot second... Although dude mentions God in his rap, that isn't enough... I believe the only real reason he is surviving out there in that life is because God truly has his back... I feel he needs to strengthen his relationship with God and he'll start to see a positive change in his life. Dude is an intelligent brother and his rap game is TIGHT, he has a real purpose in his life... I think a change is just waiting to happen for him... He just needs to recognize it. Like him, I'm not a 50 fan so I felt everything he said about Hip-Hop not being the same. Dude could be pretty hard in the rap game, he has a real story to tell, a true Hip-Hop story.
Thanks for sharing!
...the absolute personification of EVIL! full stop!
Thanks to God that Jesus doesn't view each other the way we do. He deserves a shot at life and my prayer is that he succeeds and figures out who He is as God created him,Thanks for this segment and all your work!
That is really ashame. Now the real question is what do we do next. If you help this brother with a job and a place to rest his head, which way in the road does his life turn. At the minimum, he should be awarded that chance to lay his head. How do WE/ Can WE help this brother who needs it.
Props for this piece! I feel a great deal of sympathy for this man's struggle, and for all homeless people. Its amazing how people can survive and stay sane living on the streets.
Are you gonna release these shorts on a DVD? Looking forward to seeing more great work from you!
Indeed...this is the illest piece so far. It's easy to say "do better", "make better choices", "live righteously". None of us posting opinions are sleeping where he's sleeping. Dude has not made great decisions in his life. But this cat was given a crappy hand from the door. And we all know that what we go through as children shapes what kind of adults we become. That is why we send our kids to the best schools from kindergarten because we know that it will help them become better people. The fact that he is trying to stay positive while living on the streets, to me, is a blessing and a sign that hope is possible. But make no mistake about it, its hard to keep your mind on Jesus when your stomach is growling and you are sleeping on the concrete. We can judge dude all we want. But until any of us has felt desperate enough to actually rob someone I don't think we can talk. He's a dope emcee. And hip-hop lives everywhere. It came from the streets and it's still in the streets...giving the homeless therapy. How ill is that?
Bravo! D... man what can I say... you are just growing and building your brand. Fantastic work, I love how he didn't and or couldn't look into the camera it added another level to this short and the simplicity of the red brick wall. Love it. Thanks!
Greatly done piece! About his decisions; i agree with the above poster about having to make decisions in a bad situation and robbery is not good but it's practical and atleast he's not a rapist or something.
extremely powerful piece on many levels. seems that his talent has not been wasted yet. what can done from this point forward to give this guy an opportunity? he "seems" genuine in turning his life around, and i'm sure there will be someone watching this video that can give this dude a shot?
Who can say when the course of his life begins to turn for the better?
also, can we get a 3-6 month follow up on him?
This is authentic and shows the truth of the harsh reality of life beyond hip hop, it's not always about the flashing lights, and the bling bling!
LOVE IT! This is what we need... more truths.
Hey D-Nice - can you get at us please - we'd be honored if we could get you in our next issue.
Thanks for doing what you do....
Trung
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