T.I. came to New York City last month to perform at Irving Plaza, and his show featured New York rappers like Troy Ave, Uncle Murda, and Maino. However, none of the rappers were able to hit the stage because gunshots began to fire off in the VIP area of the venue. After the gunfire stopped, four people were seriously injured and one man ended up dead. Surveillance footage from the VIP area in Irving Plaza showed Troy Ave firing a weapon, which led to him being arrested for attempted murder.
The shooting at Irving Plaza had a major ripple effect on the hip-hop community, and led to the venue cancelling many shows at Irving Plaza as well as at their sister venue. Since then, rappers Maino and Uncle Murda have taken the time to set up the Brooklyn Unified open forum to speak on gun violence in hip hop. Maino spoke on what he sees for the future after the forum, saying, "We moving like young entrepreneurs, stepping away from some of the bulls*** that’s holding us back. Some of this s*** ain’t about nothing. And by no means am I a Malcolm X, Martin Luther King-type n****. You know I’m not that. But certain things make sense and certain things don’t. And we just gotta create the energy in this borough for them to understand that we gotta move in a certain way if we wanna be successful for real.”
Both of the rappers made it a point to say they want those who are coming up in Brooklyn and New York in general to separate the streets from the music.
Check out a clip from the event up top.
Source: xxlmag.com
