50 Cent and Mona Scott-Young's new series "Hip Hop Homicides" premiered via WEtv on Thursday (November 3). As the title suggests, the show—hosted by Van Lathan—explores the recent string of senseless murders in the rap community. The inaugural episode begins with Brooklyn drill rapper Pop Smoke, who was shot and killed in 2019 during a botched robbery at a Hollywood Hills home.
The deaths of King Von and Magnolia Shorty will be the focus of episodes two and three, respectively, and XXXTENTACION, Soulja Slim and others will follow. In an interview with Scott-Young, she revealed the show was 50 Cent's idea.
"He said, 'We should really do a show about dead rappers,'" she said. "'We need to figure out how to tell their stories. We need to go out there. If nobody else wants to investigate, if nobody else wants answers, then we’ve got to do it. We’ve got to not only keep their names alive, but we have to try to figure out whatever we can to help put these cases to bed.’ And that was the beginning of an evolution of the concept.”
She also spoke about the negative effects social media has played. She continued, "“ just think that there is a sense of responsibility that comes with having a tool like social media at our disposal that we have just not been properly equipped to utilize. We are in this place where we have dehumanized ourselves and other people through the use of social media.”
The premiere is eerily timed considering Migos rapper Takeoff was fatally shot in Houston on Tuesday (November 1). His murder follows the death of PnB Rock, who was shot and killed in September while having lunch at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in Los Angeles, and Young Dolph who was gunned down last November in his hometown of Memphis.
