Free Republic

The fatal shooting of rapper Half Ounce has ignited a familiar conversation about gun violence, rap culture and whether there’s a responsibility for record labels to protect their artists. The 32-year-old rapper, whose real name was Latauriisha O’Brien, was killed in Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighborhood Monday, just weeks after rapper PnB Rock was fatally shot during a robbery in the same city. These rappers are part of a string of artists who have died by gun violence, with at least one rapper being fatally shot every year since 2018. With other high-profile rappers such as Drakeo the Ruler, who was...

(CNN) - Days before he was gunned down in Los Angeles, rapper PnB Rock talked about fellow artists feeling targeted for robbery. In an interview with YouTuber DJ Akademiks about a week before he was shot and killed during a robbery while at Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles on Monday, PnB Rock said criminals in city were "bold" and shared a story about when he, his girlfriend and his child were being followed. "I be trying to be cool because you don't want to be nervous," he said. "You want [your family ] to be as calm as possible."...