Editor’s Note: To avoid further friction and conflict with ironsidehex (formerly hexmurda), he is no longer edited. Enjoy this prose – straight from the heart.
Dying words.
Man, it seems like whenever I write an editorial its b/c someone f###### died. Woke up Monday morning to some f##### up news. DETROIT rapper, DEX OSAMA was killed Sunday night / Monday morning at the CRAZY HORSE strip club in Southwest Detroit, not far from where I’m writing this. I’m sure u can more or less guess what happened, I’m not gonna speculate on it. Dude had caught the attention of MEEK MILL & had reportedly signed a deal w/ DREAMCHASERS. A situation rapper’s dream about. Fledgling rapper catches the eye ( ears ) of established rapper who takes him under his wing, even signs him to some sort of deal. Yup, a rapper’s dream. Dreamcatchers, indeed. I think the two had / have a EP together that’s supposed to drop Friday.
Young, upcoming, promising.
All words that were associated with DEX OSAMA. Now u can associate these words with him; dead, deceased, dearly departed, late, murdered.
Gone at 22.
I feel for his mother & his crew.
I didn’t know Dex Osama, & I didn’t listen to his music.
I’m old.
I still listen to DeLaSoul.
I had enough of that “SHOOT ‘EM UP, BANG-BANG” s###. I lived through the 80’s & 90’s, so I saw it in technicolor. I’m already familiar, no need to relive it thru audio.
However, Dex was from Detroit, & I was rooting for him. Lord knows its hard for a muthafucka from here to make a national splash, be it a ripple or a tsunami.
When I heard he passed, I did exactly what people do nowadays for “facts”. Went to Twitter & checked his IG. Sure enough, “R.I.P” every f###### where. Especially under the last pic he had posted at the time, a picture of himself & two gentlemen, all of them carrying / brandishing guns. At the time of this writing someone had posted two more pics, also w/ guns in them. This becomes a recurring theme on his page. I will say this; those boys had enough heat to make The Terminator blush. Alot of people saying “LIVE BY THE GUN, DIE BY THE GUN”. Yeah, that s### sounds cool, but hearing it or seeing it doesn’t help his mama.
He had a song called “DEATH ON ME” where he recounted part of a conversation he had with his mother after telling her he had seen the grim reaper in his sleep.
“MY MAMA SAID I GOT DEATH ON ME / THE REASON WHY I GOT THIS VEST ON ME”. Is this a case of life imitating art, instead of vice-versa? I dunno, but this is the reality.
Dex Osama has joined the ranks of other murdered rappers, including but not limited to;
Lil Snupe (also one of Mek Mill’s artists killed at the age of 18) Bugz(D12), Big Hawk, Big L, Camoflauge, ChinxDrugs, Doe B, Dolla, FatPat, FreakTah, BladeIcewood, TheJacka, JamMasterJay, MacDre, Proof(D12), Seagram, Slim Dunkin, Soulja Slim, Stretch, & of course The NotoriousB.I.G & TupacShakur.
I probably missed some but u get my drift. There’s too damn many of them, & u can add Dex Osama to the list.
That’s a f##### up list & there are different reasons for being on it. Some dudes couldn’t stay out of the street no matter what their level of success & it ate them up. Some dudes got killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, & some dudes baited death. They danced with it, they teased it. Some seemed fascinated by it. Made songs about it. Did videos & s### depicting it.
A few instances really stand out to me.
Proof’s scenes where he’s shot & dies on the hospital in EMINEM’s “TOY SOLDIERS”. ( I cant even watch that s###, & I’m in it. I don’t think anybody from Shady can ). Who can forget BIG’s first lp titled “READY TO DIE”, his hook to “EVERYDAY STRUGGLE”, his song “YOU’RE NOBODY TIL SOMEBODY KILLS YOU” on his second lp, entitled “LIFE AFTER DEATH”, w/ Biggie as a hearse driver on the cover. Tupac’s “DEATH AROUND THE CORNER”, “HOW LONG WILL THEY MOURN ME”, “IS THERE A HEAVEN FOR A G”, & his eerie visual to “I AIN’T MAD AT ‘CHA”, which depicts him being gunned down on Earth & rapping in what appears to be Heaven amongst other legends who have passed, & returning to Earth as an angel. What made this video so creepy to me is that Tupac died September 13th, & this video aired September 15th.
Some might say DexOsama is in good company.
F### that.
Almost 20 years after Tupac’s death & rappers are still dying violently.
Dudes gotta stop putting this s### in the air & giving it energy. Just like Meek signed Dex & his dream came true, nightmares come true too.
I just want to save one dude.
Just one.
Just so u won’t die over some b#######, like DexOsama did.
Quit talking s### into existence that u don’t want to exist.
If you’re living that life, that’s f##### up, & I hope u make it through unscathed. If u feel that u gotta speak on death & try to keep pirouetting out of its grasp, I hope that you’re light on your feet. I also hope u don’t think there’s honor in dying in a blaze of glory. The only honor most cats get is their picture on a T-shirt, a few shout outs, some graffiti, & maybe a mural if ur lucky. All of which won’t bring u back to your mother. A lot of dudes wanna rap & tell their stories, speak their own truths.
I understand.
Just know that words are powerful, man. With every letter you’re building a monster & it can either fight for u or it can turn on u. Just be careful what u say, & remember, nobody shoots at DeLaSoul.
R.I.P DexOsama