I am extremely sad to report that D12 member and solo artist Proof was shot and killed at around 4AM last night; he was at the after hours club Triple C located on 8 Mile Road and Gratiot in his native Detroit.
I was blessed with the opportunity to interview Proof a couple months ago and spoke with him for hours; an interview that went well beyond the call of normal press duties. But that was Proof, whether he was rapping as part of D12, or as a solo artist, or whether he was doing what he could to represent for and raise Detroit and Hip-Hop, or speaking to a journalist and fan; he gave it his all and he did it with pride.
As I sit here now and flick through the notes of that night and listen to the tapes, I am once again amazed at the respect that he showed towards his culture, our culture, Hip-Hop. It is only fair that we all show him the same respect in return, for he truly was one of the communities greats.
On his album he may have been "Searching for Jerry Garcia," but this generation of Hip-Hop fans and those to follow will without a doubt always be Searching for Big Proof.
As fans we are blessed to have a catalog of music left behind so that we can continue to experience and enjoy Proof's talent and the messages he has left behind. I leave you now with a quote from when Proof and I spoke; my prayers go out to Proof's family and friends, may God rest his soul.
"When you reach inside your own soul and you pull out artistry, artistry is from the lips of God. If there is a God, artistry speaks it. Thats why music brings people together." - Proof, RIP.
I was blessed with the opportunity to interview Proof a couple months ago and spoke with him for hours; an interview that went well beyond the call of normal press duties. But that was Proof, whether he was rapping as part of D12, or as a solo artist, or whether he was doing what he could to represent for and raise Detroit and Hip-Hop, or speaking to a journalist and fan; he gave it his all and he did it with pride.
As I sit here now and flick through the notes of that night and listen to the tapes, I am once again amazed at the respect that he showed towards his culture, our culture, Hip-Hop. It is only fair that we all show him the same respect in return, for he truly was one of the communities greats.
On his album he may have been "Searching for Jerry Garcia," but this generation of Hip-Hop fans and those to follow will without a doubt always be Searching for Big Proof.
As fans we are blessed to have a catalog of music left behind so that we can continue to experience and enjoy Proof's talent and the messages he has left behind. I leave you now with a quote from when Proof and I spoke; my prayers go out to Proof's family and friends, may God rest his soul.
"When you reach inside your own soul and you pull out artistry, artistry is from the lips of God. If there is a God, artistry speaks it. Thats why music brings people together." - Proof, RIP.
