Monthly Digest #1: April 2021

RIP DMX, RIP Black Rob, RIP Shock G, Nipsey Hussle Biography & Documentary

May 8, 2021

Welcome to the first edition of my monthly digest where I share cool and interesting stuff I’ve been reading, watching or listening to lately.

I wish I had started with lighter content, but April was particularly tragic, as we lost within a few days 2 legends (DMX and Shock G) and a solid veteran who was way more than just a one “Whoa” hit wonder (Black Rob). May they rest in peace.

I’m Gary @imgarysuarez

The loss of DMX, Black Rob, and Shock G in such rapid succession, coming so soon after the passing of Double K and Prince Markie Dee, serves as a reminder that we in hip-hop media need to amplify veteran artists' voices and help them tell their stories while they're still alive.

andrew @noz

we should start publishing obituaries for our favorite musicians while they're still alive and call it music criticism

The New Yorker @NewYorker

The infrastructure to support DMX and Shock G into middle age didn’t exist, Sheldon Pearce writes. Both went largely underappreciated until it was too late.

DMX, Shock G, and the Plight of the Middle-Aged RapperSheldon Pearce writes about the deaths and careers of the gritty, best-selling rapper DMX and the comedic, funk-influenced hip-hop artist Shock G.nyer.cm

🐕 RIP DMX 🐕

December 18, 1970 - April 9, 2021

Otto Von Biz Markie @Passionweiss

RIP DMX. No one radiated more agony, pain, and atomic energy. The Cerberus from Yonkers, who suffered for all of our sins and his own. Maybe the rawest rapper of all-time, no pretense or frills, just pure adrenaline, lawless genius, and reckless abandon. The struggle incarnate.

Otto Von Biz Markie @Passionweiss

A requiem for DMX, a superhero who anyone could relate to, whose existence embodied & transcended the struggle, from the School Street projects to the pitfalls of fame. The realest of the real ones. May he finally have found peace after a lifetime of pain.

DMX Turned Agony and Atomic Energy Into One of Rap’s Most Titanic LegaciesHe was both the last great, raw ’90s rapper, and a harbinger of the harmonic pop sensibilities that would dominate the next generation.gq.com

Justin Tinsley @JustinTinsley

#MyLatest — On Earl Simmons aka DMX. A man whose grief + pain made for some of the most transparent music we’ll ever hear. But through it all, a man who showed us what real resiliency and finding peace in a life full of chaos truly looks like. R.I.P., Dog.

An entire generation owes DMX for his lesson in resilienceDMX’s entire life story has felt like him standing down at the prospect of an early death — and the Grim Reaper retreating to a corner. But not even the old ada…theundefeated.com

justin sayles @doxellis

Wrote about the legacy of DMX, who became one of the biggest stars hip-hop has ever seen on precisely his own terms

DMX Leaves a Legacy of Passion, Unparalleled Success, and PainThe gruff-voiced MC died Friday, nearly a week after suffering multiple heart attacks resulting from an apparent drug overdosetheringer.com

GQ Magazine @GQMagazine

In Belly, DMX showed immediately that he was a magnetic presence on camera

‘Belly’ Gave Us One of the Clearest Pictures of DMX During His RiseX’s star turn in the Hype Williams cult classic showed he had full command of glossy aesthetics just as much as the grimy.gq.mn

Evan McGarvey @evanmcgarvey

For @VICE , I wrote about DMX's inimitable run as 2000s B-movie action star and the ease and fun he showed on screen

DMX’s Surprising and Joyful B-Movie LegacyHis unlikely star turn in movies like ‘Cradle 2 The Grave’ and ‘Exit Wounds’ are an important part of his legacy.vice.com

Okayplayer @okayplayer

#BehindTheBeat is our series where we talk to rap producers about the making of their most iconic beat. Here's a look back at our first edition, where @DAMEGREASE tells us about crafting DMX’s “Get At Me Dog.” 🙏🏿 bit.ly/351xSFp (illustration by: @Popephoenix)

Otto Von Biz Markie @Passionweiss

Over the next week, we're running "The Pick of the Litter," a series dedicated to the best songs of DMX. First up is @pahwa_nitish on "4,3,2,1."

The Pick of the Litter: “4, 3, 2, 1”Our DMX tribute series kicks off with Nitish Pahwa’s examination of an iconic posse cut and DMX’s style that would eventually hold the rap world by the throat in the entrance to the new…passionweiss.com

Check out here for the rest of the series, including songs such as “Slippin”, “Stop Being Greedy”, “Come Back In One Piece”, “Damien”, “Get At Me Dog”, etc.

🖤 RIP BLACK ROB 🖤

June 8, 1968 - April 17, 2021

Otto Von Biz Markie @Passionweiss

RIP Black Rob, one of the great millennium-era crime rap novelists, gruff but with Harlem slickness, who endured fire & brimstone to briefly reach the apex, before gravity and the law took hold. Of course, "Whoa," which owned the world for a full year, the platonic tunnel banger.

Otto Von Biz Markie @Passionweiss

"[I] never had nothin, never went to school, was always on the streets, always takin' money. But [I] changed. God blessed [me] for my talent...God blessed that kid Rob to do something with his life." -- Black Rob in The Source, January '99

MML @MMLunlimited

Wrote a @GQMagazine piece on why eulogizing black men gone too soon is tiring, ironically enough. RIP Black Rob. gq.com/story/black-ro… #BlackRob

Remembering Black Rob, The Husky-Voiced One-Time Savior of Bad BoyThe rapper who gave us “Whoa!” and other classics died Saturday at age 52.gq.com

Comorienne 🇰🇲 @_ShamGod

Not an easy task for me in the slightest bit, but I tried to capture my thoughts on Harlem icon Black Rob’s life, career and transition from Earthly life for @vulture. Thanks to the amazing @Dee_Lockett for guiding me through this.

The Irreplaceable Black Rob, Bad Boy’s First Street StoryHis ascendance is pivotal to documenting the rise of Bad Boy Records, both before and after Biggie.vulture.com

🥸 RIP SHOCK G 🥸

August 25, 1963 - April 22, 2021

Otto Von Biz Markie @Passionweiss

RIP Shock G, psychedelic rap pioneer, one of the 1st & best to translate funk into hip-hop. A high concept genius, who discovered 2Pac & invented sex packets. Our Groucho Mark: raunchy, hilarious & weird. Burger King bathrooms would never be the same. Humpty Hump lives forever 🥸

Otto Von Biz Markie @Passionweiss

When I interviewed DJ Quik a few years ago, I asked him about his early years and who he was chasing. I figured the obvious answers would be EPMD and Dre but he said "Digital Underground." They were true funk innovators, which sometimes got masked by the novelty hits and humor.

Wax Poetics @waxpoetics

"Be peaceful and enjoy your time on Earth as much and as often as you can. The more you do, the more it becomes you."–Shock G Part one of our three part piece on Shock G is now live. Words by Alice Price-Styles waxpoetics.com/article/digita…

Part 2: Shock G eschews grand theft auto for a career in the music industry.

Part 3: Digital Underground frontman Shock G talks about the deep impact that Parliament-Funkadelic and its eccentric leader George Clinton had on his career and life.

Part 4: Tour stories and tragedy: Digital Underground frontman Shock G relates the highs and lows of the band’s touring days in the ’90s.

Chris Daly @oddbodkins

In an effort to be crowned Upper Northern VA's leading expert on all things Shock G., i wrote a couple of things for a couple of folks about the Burger King Bathroom Legend. Here's the playlist you need: thewitzard.blogspot.com/2021/04/tribut… And here are more words:

Peace and Humptiness Forever: A Tribute to Shock GRIP to the genius who ruined the image and the style we were used to.passionweiss.com

Ryan Proctor @RyanProctor75

My plan was to do more writing this year. That hasn’t happened for a number of reasons. But I did want to say a few words about the great Shock G. Readhowyalike. #RIPShockG

Let The Funk Be Your Guiding Light – A Tribute To Shock GAttempting to write about an artist who has passed away can feel like an overwhelming task. It feels that way now as I sit here looking at my laptop screen. Where do you start? How can you adequate…oldtothenew.wordpress.com

Otto Von Biz Markie @Passionweiss

Wrote a tribute to Gregory Jacobs, aka Shock G, Humpty Hump, Edward Ellington Humphries III, and MC Blowfish. The mastermind of Digital Underground and the eternal freak of the industry. May his memory be blessed with peace and humptiness forever.

Perspective | Shock G of Digital Underground was a psychedelic rap pioneer who helped hip-hop crossoverBest known for the hit “The Humpty Dance,” the late rapper-producer left a major imprint on West Coast rap.washingtonpost.com

KQED @KQED

In his tribute to Shock G, journalist Eric Arnold remembers the late rapper as a man who "came along at a time when Bay Area hip-hop was beginning to heft national gravitas and helped push it over the hump."

Remembering Shock G, the Funky Digital Underground Frontman Who Shaped Oakland Rap | KQEDFunny, raunchy and philosophical, the rapper made a major impact and helped launch Tupac’s career.kqed.org

Keith Murphy @murphdogg29

“I’m sorry,” he says with a quiver in his voice. "But I just get so emotional thinking about the past. I’m so happy that people are finally paying attention to my work,"- My 2010 VIBE interview with Shock G. Rest In Power to hip-hop's UNSUNG music man.

Shock G Breaks Down Digital Underground’s Entire Catalogue, 2Pac & MoreGregory “Shock G” Jacobs is having a moment. During the interview, the musical mastermind behind the Oakland-based rap-funk outfit Digital...fatcapmagazine.blogspot.com

Vulture @vulture

.@paulxt: "What made Shock G's music special was in the cleverness of his syntax, the modulation of his voice, the depth of his grooves. It was as if he came from somewhere else entirely"

Rap’s Most Imaginative Roads Lead Back to Shock GHis presence is felt in those rappers who skip from one identity to another to get at something deeper in the human condition.vult.re

justin sayles @doxellis

Quick re-up since it went up late last night: Some brief thoughts on Shock G, hip-hop’s true Dr. Funkenstein and yet another legend gone far too soon

The Interplanetary Impact of Shock G, From “The Humpty Dance” to BeyondThe Digital Underground founder, who died Thursday at age 57, brought the Mothership to hip-hop and helped chart the course of Bay Area rap for the 1990stheringer.com

XL Middleton @XLMiddleton

One of my fav Shock G moments was the OG version of Pac’s “Do For Love.” Just Pac rapping, backed only w/ drums & keys. And who was on those keys but Shock G himself, setting a whole mood w/ nothing but piano chords. May we all succeed in trying to make a $ out of 15 cents.

Ice Cube @icecube

RIP Shock-G/Humpty Hump. I remember when NWA’s road manager Atron said he had a group called Digital Underground. He played DOWHATCHALIKE video & I went crazy. I had to sample DU on JACKIN FOR BEATS and WHO’S THE MACK. And nobody had a better stage show. A true Bay Area original.

The Guardian @guardian

Cult heroes: Digital Underground peaked so high, so early, little more was required

Cult heroes: Digital Underground peaked so high, so early, little more was requiredDigital Underground are best remembered for one novelty song and giving 2Pac his big break. But that completely undersells a pioneering hip-hop grouptrib.al

Tampa Bay Times @TB_Times

The funeral of rapper, musician and producer Gregory “Shock G” Jacobs was held in Tampa, where he grew up and launched his music career. The Digital Underground co-founder also died there at the age of 57.

‘We lost another legend.’ Friends, family say goodbye to Shock G in Tampa.Download/Stream - https://tommyboy.lnk.to/DigitalUndergroundTheHumptyDance Follow our official Spotify Playlist: https://tommyboy.lnk.to/PlaylistSpotify Listen to more Tommy Boy Classics: https://VA.lnk.to/TommyBoyClassics…trib.al

🏁💙 NIPSEY HUSSLE BIOGRAPHY & DOCUMENTARY 💙🏁

Atria Books @AtriaBooks

Renowned Hip Hop journalist @RobertJKenner writes the 1st in-depth bio of #NipseyHussle, mogul, artist, and activist whose transformative legacy inspired a generation. Quincy Jones calls it "a beautiful tribute to a legendary artist.” In stores now! bit.ly/3cSGkJU

Stereogum @stereogum

Veteran hip-hop journalist Rob Kenner's new Nipsey Hussle biography 'The Marathon Don't Stop' is out today. We talked to Kenner about the book, which attempts to give the rapper and community organizer the recognition he deserved in life: bit.ly/2PpTkig

Los Angeles Times @latimes

Review: Nipsey Hussle, canonical rapper, gets his first gospel

Review: Nipsey Hussle, the late canonical South L.A. rapper, gets his first biographyIn “The Marathon Don’t Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle,” Rob Kenner nails down the first biography of the iconic L.A. rapper who died in 2019.latimes.com

Vulture @vulture

The first time Donald Trump was impeached wasn’t in Congress. It was in a song by YG and Nipsey Hussle. @RobertJKenner writes

The United States vs. ‘FDT’The first time Donald Trump was impeached wasn’t in Congress. It was in a song by YG and Nipsey Hussle.vult.re

rubadiri victor @rubadirivictor

4 parts series DEXTER BROWNE, NIPSEY HUSSLE , & THE GANGS OF LA- w exclusive never seen before pics. The stunning hidden story of Nipsey's' mentorship by a Trinidadian Howard-educated engineer who simultaneously was documenting the rise of Black Hollywood:

DEXTER BROWNE, NIPSEY HUSSLE, AND THE GANGS OF L.A.Dexter and Nipsey Part I: A HIDDEN HISTORY The just released biography of sainted rapper Nipsey Hussle- ‘The Marathon Don’t Stop’- by famed Hip Hop biographer Rob Kenner reveals a stunning story th…artistscoalition.wordpress.com

Additional readings on Rob Kenner’s blog:

Last but not least, one of the best and most heartfelt Nip tribute tracks received the video treatment on the 2-Year Anniversary of his passing:

I hope you enjoyed all the content above.

If you did, tell your friends (your momma and your cousin, too):

First time reading Kick’s Groove newsletter? Check out the full archives.

Also make sure you subscribe to get every new edition delivered straight to your inbox. It’s free and you won’t have to worry about missing anything!

You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Questions? Ideas on how Kick’s Groove could be better? Email me.

And if you really value my good ol’ handcrafted music curation, you can make a one-time donation on my Buy Me a Coffee page. Thank you for your support 🙏

Ok, it’s a wrap, see you next month!

Kick's Groove

Monthly Digest #1: April 2021

RIP DMX, RIP Black Rob, RIP Shock G, Nipsey Hussle Biography & Documentary

🐕 RIP DMX 🐕

🖤 RIP BLACK ROB 🖤

🥸 RIP SHOCK G 🥸

🏁💙 NIPSEY HUSSLE BIOGRAPHY & DOCUMENTARY 💙🏁

Ready for more?