Religion & Spirituality

Biggie Smalls’ initial music producer, DJ 50 Grand, passes

By MAL’AKIY 17 ALLAH Special to the AmNews

The news of the recent passing of Brooklyn-based DJ 50 Grand (sometimes spelled 50 Gran), a.k.a. Kevin Griffin, saddened many of his childhood friends, as well as several of his music companions. Junior Mafia’s Lil Cease shared heartfelt sentiments on his Instagram account: “This One Hurt Man :’(!! We Literally Was Just Celebrating Wit You For Big Smh!!! Wouldn’t Be No Big If It Wasn’t For You!! We Love You 50 Grand Your GonnaBe Missed!!! @kevin50grangriffin.”

During early 1991, as part of The Old Gold Brothers, based out of BedStuy’s Lafayette Gardens Houses, aka L.G.=Loaded Guns, he became acquainted with a local aspiring artist named Biggie Smalls through mutual fiend D-Roc, and cut a demo tape recording which included the tracks “Guaranteed Raw,” “Love No Hoe,” and “Microphone Murderer.”

Legendary MC, Big Daddy Kane’s former DJ, Mister Cee took that demo tape to The Source magazine, which led up to Biggie being featured in its Unsigned Hype column. The prominent exposure eventually garnered the attention of Uptown Records’ CEO, Andre Harrell, and A&R Sean Combs. This led to Biggie being featured on several memorable recordings with Heavy D, Mary J. Blige and Super Cat, prior to launching his solo career in 1994 on Bad Boy Records.

Despite Biggie’s multi-platinum success, he never forgot his friend, mentioning him on several recordings, and they remained close friends until Biggie’s March 9, 1997, murder in Los Angeles.

In a 2011 interview, 50 Grand reflected: “I started working with Big in ’91. I was 21, he was 15. I met him through a friend of mine. They hustled together on [the intersection of] Bedford and Quincy. People in the neighborhood knew him as the hottest rapper around. Everybody that stepped in his path, he ate ’em up. He earned that stripe from that one battle he had at Bedford and Quincy. I was the one that was playing the music.”

DJ 50 Grand attended the tribute to his late friend, Biggie, at Lincoln Center on June 10, just days prior to passing. Varying reports listing his cause of death have been reported, one being due to cancer, and another being a heart attack. Neither was confirmed. Reportedly, he was funeralized at Brooklyn’s Grace Funeral Chapel (607 N. Conduit Blvd.) the following week.

(Photo courtesy of Rhino Warner Bros)

Nipsey Hussle’s killer convicted of 1st-degree murder

(David Goodson photo)

By MAL’AKIY 17 ALLAH Special to the AmNews

On Wednesday, July 6, a jury convicted Eric Ronald Holder Jr., 32, of 1st-degree murder, and five other charges, in the 2019 fatal shooting of hip-hop artist/ entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle (Ermias Joseph Asghedom). He sat stoic in court as the verdict was read. He was also found guilty of possession of a firearm as a felon and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. Holder and Hussle were both reportedly members of the Rolling 60s Crips.

“The video is absolutely essential because it takes away any argument that he didn’t do it,” explained Deputy District Attorney John McKinney.

Surveillance video places Holder at the precise location and time of the shooting, and his court-appointed attorney as well as numerous witnesses identified him as the shooter, therefore whether he was guilty or not was not really in question; however, his attorneys argued his intent, in an effort to have him charged with a lesser crime, with a smaller sentence. He reportedly fired semi-automatic pistols, striking Hussle 10 times, and bystanders Kerry Lathon and Shermi Villanueva were also injured.

“You’re through,” Holder allegedly shouted prior to firing and killing Hussle.

Prosecutors determined that, amid rumors, Hussle had claimed that Holder was a government informant, prompting him to pay him a visit at Hussle’s store, Marathon Clothing, at the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue, in Crenshaw, to question him.

During trial, Bryannita Nicholson, who was dating Holder then, was granted immunity from prosecution, testified that she drove Holder to and from the murder scene that day, and shared some incriminating details, describing the two men as initially speaking calmly before a dispute ensued. Holder then headed to his car nearby, loaded his guns, nibbled on some fries, then stormed after Hussle in his own parking lot.

“It just seemed like a regular conversation,” McKinney said in court. “But obviously it wasn’t.” He described them as “two men whose arcs in life were bending in different directions.”

Holder’s court-appointed attorney, Aaron Jameson, claimed that the shooting occurred as a “crime of passion,” and was not premeditated, arguing that “he should’ve been charged with voluntary manslaughter.”

Holder is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 15, where Jameson will ask the judge to consider his client’s mental health history, including a year-long schizophrenic disorder.

“The verdict and the story of [Nipsey’s] life will be talked about for sure at Crenshaw and Slauson,” McKinney stated, “but the meaning of it will carry far beyond those streets.”