Photo: Al Pereira / WireImage
Last week, we lost one of the best rappers to ever hold a mic. Gift of Gab was a Bay Area legend and a tireless force for good.
I’ll keep it real: this one hurts and I can’t really type all that much on it. I will say that I spoke to him but a year ago after he’d received a new kidney and his upbeat energy was palpable, even through the phone, which makes it all the more devastating to now know that interview is likely among the last he ever gave.
For more, please read Adrian Spinelli’s moving obituary for the San Francisco Chronicle. Then spin Blazing Arrow in full, no skips. We’ve only begun to feel the magnitude of this loss. There will be much more to say. Nonetheless, I am at least heartened to know that I share this grief with so many others who loved Gab and Blackalicious as hard as I always will.
I’ll be back next week with some fresh bylines, but for today, I realized in my last email that I failed to mention the comic that I made with one of my oldest friends!
That’s right! Earlier this year, I was beyond flattered when Sophie Yanow — author of the Eisner award-winning The Contradictions and my friend since the days of preschool — asked me if I’d be game to work together on a comic for a “Drugs” issue of The Nib.
The result is a twelve-page primer on the “pot-to-prison” pipeline, starting with the history of cannabis and the War on Drugs and ending with current efforts at reform. As of now, to read it, you’ll need to order a copy (print or digital) from The Nib, but lucky for you, it’s currently available to purchase for only $4!
If you’d like to see how my brain responds to the task of trying to write a comic or simply want to marvel at Sophie’s incredible artwork, get after it! This comic features quotes from Nina Parks, Alphonso “Tucky” Blunt, and also includes the story of Michael Thompson (shared with permission) — we’re pretty proud of this thing.
If that sounds cool, please grab one!
Okay, that’s all. See you next week or the week after that!