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‘Your favourite rappers are only alive because of our sacrifices’: the secret life of rap bodyguards


From 2Pac in the 90s to XXXTentacion and more in recent years, murder is frequent in the US rap scene. The men trying to protect the artists explain the physical and psychological toll

He claims his security detail couldn’t get licences to carry guns on the evening Shakur was shot and that a complacent Death Row felt “too safe” in Vegas due to Knight owning a nightclub in the area. The New York-based security veteran Robert House previously protected 90s names the Lox and Lil’ Kim and believes today’s scene, particularly the drill subgenre, is “definitely more dangerous” than the gangsta rap era. Bodyguards tend to have combat training and an understanding of how to keep calm in high-pressure situations; they’re often ex-cops (like Reggie Wright Jr) and ex-bouncers (Robert House used to man the doors at the fabled New York nightclub Tunnel).

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Or read this on The Guardian