"Hip Hop Heaven" was printed in Vibe Magazine's October issue in 1999, honoring the lives of eleven artists through illustrations by Natalie Ascencios. As those of us who have been around since the early days of hip-hop get on in years, it's life's cycle that more of our hip-hop legends will be taken from us. In recent years, it feels like time is catching up to all of us, but for many, far far too soon. With that, David Bry's words resonate that much more and I'd like to share them below, and also remember all those we've lost -- then and since -- may they rest in eternal peace!
"Sometimes, when we hear their music or their voices, distant and muffled coming from a passing car's radio, it's like they're still with us. We can envision them, late at night, huddle in a hazy cipher under the streetlights. Or in the studio, hunched over a notepad, mouthing words to themselves. Rhyming. Consumed, carried by their music. Living for the music, living each day as if it could be their last. And then, one day, it was. Those artists, these artists -- and there have doubtless been others -- were taken from us, taken from where we stay, far too early. Taken by violence or illness or some fateful mishap. But they are still with us. In their words and songs, their souls preserved on record forever. They're still moving us. Still making us think and feel and shiver in awe of their spirit and of their gifts. And we can be thankful, at least, for that."
Rest In Peace: The Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, Eazy-E, Big L, Sean Price, Phife Dawg, Praverb The Wyse, Pumpkinhead, Guru, Freaky Tah, Roc Raida, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Heavy D, J Dilla, Big Pun, Proof, Adam Yauch, Nate Dogg, Left Eye, Jam Master Jay, Bloodshed, Pimp C, Camu Tao, MC Breed, Charizma, Mac Dre, Apache, Baatin, Capital Steez, Crazy Toones, Eyedea, Fatal Hussein, Half-A-Mil, Killa Sha, KL, Stack Bundles, Chinx, Troube T-Roy, MC Trouble, Cowboy, Scott La Rock, Seagram, Yusef, Stretch, DJ Screw, Too Poetic, and many more that I'm sorry I haven't documented ... gone but never forgotten!
