Toward the
end of his legendary "Knuck If U Buck" freestyle, Lil Wayne playfully shoots down the notion of anyone
snatching the chain off his neck. "I'll be damned, mama, they know
who I am, mama," he raps in the verse. "I'm still your little boy,
but to them, I'm the man, mama."
There's a reason why those seemingly
straightforward lyrics featuring a mock conversation between Weezy and his mom
are still quoted to this day. In the rap world, being "The Man" means
the streets respect a rapper enough that he (or she) can wear their chain
anywhere with little to no consequences arriving at their doorstep. In
mid-November of 2021, Lil Tjay was captured on camera appearing to be in a brawl on the
streets of London following a show. Rumors spread that the fight was caused by
someone attempting to take the Bronx rapper's jewelry. Not wanting that
speculation attached to his name, he quickly hopped on Instagram to set the
record straight. "If a nigga really tried to take my chain, it would have
been a lot of those right there," he said in the video clip while police
cruisers coincidentally rode by. "I ain't gon' lie." In this world, few things are as
symbolically deflating as getting a chain snatched. A rapper can be a mix of
Frank Lucas, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff and Optimus Prime, but their
growing legend can be demystified instantly by the casually merciless hands of
opportunistic goons. After all, no matter how many cars or social media
followers a rapper has, they're still just as vulnerable to a bullet as
the next man, and someone stealing a rapper's chain rings in a sobering reality
for both them and their legions of fans alike. In 2017, Fetty Wap found his belongings in the clutches of
anonymous chain-snatchers. The thing is, the alleged chain-snatcher was more
brazen than he was unidentifiable, and his extremely bold choice to post a
photo of himself onto Instagram wearing Fetty's chain led to his prompt arrest. |
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