Is being a rapper really the most dangerous job on the planet?
In November, the hip-hop community lost another of its biggest stars to gun violence with the death of Takeoff, one-third of the superstar group Migos. He was shot and killed late last year in Houston at age 28.
While tributes came from across social media, two-time Grammy Award-winning Dallas recording artist Jahmal “Jah Born” Cantero sparked debate surrounding the incident with a Facebook post in which he advised artists against becoming rappers.
“I would discourage any artist from being a rapper moving forward. It’s a dangerous lifestyle and the art form has deteriorated,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Jah Born is well known for his work with Erykah Badu, but his list of collaborators includes RZA, Will Smith, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube. This year, he released two albums and an instrumental collection.
“It’s heartbreaking, to be honest with you,” he says of violence in hip-hop. “And I work with a lot of young artists. You develop a relationship or bond with these young artists, and, you know, also the world that they’re in, the industry that they’re in, could possibly end up taking his life or her life. It’s heartbreaking, knowing some of these kids, knowing that they’re willing to live out their dreams in such a risky environment.”
Takeoff’s death adds to over a dozen high-profile recording artists killed in 2022 by gun violence, including the recent murders of chart-toppers PNB Rock (“Selfish”), Trouble (“Bring It Back”) and JayDaYoungan (“Elimination”). In Dallas, rapper BFG Straap was fatally shot in September. An episode centered on the 2020 death of North Dallas rap star MO3, who was shot and killed on Interstate 35, will premiere this December as part of the debut season of the new WEtv television series Hip Hop Homicide.
Jah Born’s post sparked mixed opinions and a discussion about which artists took hip-hop from its house party roots to becoming the unofficial soundtrack of American street violence. Unsurprisingly, some of the names that emerged in the discussion were the late Biggie and Tupac and groups like NWA.
The first high-profile death in hip-hop came in 1987, when a DJ from the Bronx, Scott LaRock, was shot in a Jeep by men who were upset with his bandmate. In a November report, CNN wrote that a major rapper has been killed by gun violence every year since 2018.
Jah Born isn’t alone in the sentiment. Fellow producer, podcast engineer and rapper John Brown agrees that artists shouldn’t get into rap, but mostly because they might not be prepared to face the industry’s financial instability.
“I would discourage them if they aren’t fully prepared for what’s to come of it,” Brown wrote via text. “There aren’t any assurances of financial stability, support or even if people will like or appreciate your art. The entire idea behind it is rooted in grassroots entrepreneurship, and like they say, being an entrepreneur isn’t for everyone. Being an artist embodies the idea of ‘Do what you love because you love it,’ that also includes having a certain level of faith in one’s self, even when things don’t seem to be on the up and up.
“Every artist I started with is no longer doing it, so I’m probably 1 out of 10 that saw it thru to get even the smallest level of notoriety. It’s not for the weak.”
In Jah’s post, Wealthy Records’ Eric Keyes pointed out that Houston, where Takeoff was killed, is a high-crime city.
“Like you, Jahmal, I grew up in Houston. That is one crazy ass city,” he wrote. “I experienced my first murder in Houston in Jr. High. Stanley Conde, may he rest in peace. Then 2 of my parent’s best friends were murdered in their homes in separate instances. H-Town is a hard mess. It’s bad everywhere though. I got shot in Denton in July of 2012 at my house. It’s frustrating because it’s always some stupid ass bullshit that is not near worth taking a precious life.”
One theory that is quick to surface following any rapper’s death is that artists are often killed by their own handlers for the insurance money, and to raise demand for their recorded works.
Jeremy Jones of Dallas commented on Jah’s post, “Unfortunately, that’s a terrible conspiracy theory that’s being circulated. Rappers are actually the hardest people to insure (life, touring, etc) for various reasons. Please stop circulating false info like this. This man lost his life like a lot of other brothers in the streets. This is bigger than rap. It’s a huge issue in our community and it’s not limited to the entertainment industry.”
Other big names in hip-hop have made similar claims about the danger of being a rapper. In a 2019 interview, rapper Jim Jones said being a rap artist was “the most dangerous job in the world,” ahead of serving in a war zone such as Iraq. This debate has since been addressed by other chart-topping rap stars such as Big Sean, Fat Joe, Fabolous, Fivio Foreign, The Game and Boosie BadAzz.
“Respectfully, being a rapper has become the most dangerous job in America,” said Fabolous in December 2020, following the shooting of Miami rapper Zoey Dollaz.
The Game sent out a warning to young rap stars on Twitter in November 2020, tweeting, “Young rap ni—-s, stop showing off all ya money on social media … for every dollar you floss it’s a hood ni—- out there loading a clip for you.”
Dallas rapper Devante Fields, who just completed a nationwide tour with Dizzy Wright and often shows off money, cars and designer items on his Instagram account, is one of those “young recording artists ” Game is referencing.
Fields says he wouldn’t discourage other emerging artists from entering the music industry but would advise them to be cautious about how they present themselves.
“No, I wouldn’t discourage them, but I would just say that if you’re a controversial street artist or you’re going to wear jewelry, be aware of your surroundings and hire security for yourself,” he says. “Rappers can be safe, but they have to move militant.”
Acclaimed lyricist Rakim Al-Jabbar says that audiences need to remember that music is another form of entertainment and that the people behind the songs aren’t who they appear to be.
“Artists and the public need to remember that this is art, and we are not the characters we portray in our music,” Al-Jabbar says. “This is entertainment, not real life. People aren’t being targeted because they rap. It’s either the lifestyle they actually live or one they portray that involves them in the perpetual cycle of slaughter in the underworld.”
According to the the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the most dangerous jobs are those that involve fishing and hunting, which produce the most fatalities. The list also includes construction workers and truck drivers. Gun violence in hip-hop isn’t as easily quantifiable and falls in line with the gun violence epidemic that’s simply everywhere.
Jah Born, who was among the musicians who told the Observer in June that Deep Ellum was becoming too dangerous for performers, stands by his post.
“Right now, in this season, right now with the current climate, I would say that being a rapper is definitely in the conversation for at least top five most dangerous jobs on the planet,” he says. It’s a reference to the old hip-hop saying “Mo’ money, mo’ problems,” which states that the more successful a musical performer becomes, the more dangerous the profession becomes.
“Especially if you are a successful rapper and you talk about stream, violence and street activities in your music, then you have qualified for one of the top five most dangerous jobs on the planet,” Jah Born says.
Outside of gang violence, Jah Born believes that hip-hop as an art form is deteriorating because today’s artists lack originality. And he has a point. In August, an AI rapper whose lyrics are automated by a robot, was signed to Capitol Records.
“General artists dropping music these days do not give us much to look at that sets them above other artists in the genre,” he says. “For example, I see a young artist, and they’ll have that same type of sound, the same cadence as another artist. Same type of content, and that content had deteriorated as well. What you hear more so nowadays would be considered to be poison to the people, and in that sense, yes, it has deteriorated.”
On his summertime collaboration project with fellow North Texas recording artist Kaution Mr.700, Kognizant, Jah’s conscious music addresses some of his issues.
“Kognizant is about accepting our realities as a people,” he says. “It’s about being a common Black man in this world and what we are faced with as brothers, husbands, fathers, family members, friends, uncles, etc. The message is being open-minded regarding the changes. We need to improve our overall conditions as a people because we got some problems we gotta fix.”
While hip-hop may be in a dark space, Jah Born isn’t. The producer teaches music production at Keep Spinning DJ Academy in Richardson.
“I’m gonna run a creative institution and teach,” he says. “That’s my future in music.”
