Most of us don’t even blink when we refer to rappers by the names of some of the world’s most notorious drug lords and gangsters. The fascination for the gangster lifestyle has become a fixture for these artists and the construction of these names is vital to their careers.
But what is the purpose of changing the name of someone who has already existed and is infamous at that? Why would you want to live up to someone else’s name and reputation?
Perhaps naming themselves after brave figures will bring them the same respect and fear as those who held the name before them. Perhaps these gangsters are the ones they really look up to, as these infamous people had more money than most of us would ever see.
One of the names of multi-platinum rapper Nas was Nas Escobar, whose real name is Nasir Jones. He named himself after Colombian drug lord Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, who became so rich that Forbes magazine named him the seventh richest man in the world. This state is a long way from where Nas lived in the Queensbridge projects and quite possibly what could be his reason for choosing that name.
Noreaga, a platinum solo rapper and half of the rap group Capone-n-Noreaga, named himself after Panama’s infamous military dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno, who was detained as a prisoner of war and tried on charges such as money laundering. and drug trafficking. He is currently serving a seven-year sentence in Paris.
Historical figures are even included. King Tut, known as the Pharaoh of Egypt, was worshiped as a god. Two men in the hip hop industry have rechristened themselves after this king.
This first is Walter Johnson, who is more popular for being involved in the 1994 Tupac Shakur shooting than he is in the music business. Johnson was assassinated in January 1997. The latter is better known as a musical figure. Darnell Brittingham, a rapper in Camron’s group Dipset, also renamed himself King Tut. Recently, he made headlines for allegedly stabbing a woman and then shooting himself only 48 hours after being released from prison.
Rappers, real or fake, seem to call themselves after the most notorious characters. One of the best rappers, Notorious BIG, referred to himself as the black Frank White, who was a drug dealer in the movie King of New York.
Scarface, a solo rapper, member of the rap group Geto Boys and former president of Def Jam South, named himself after the definitive gangster movie, Scarface. It’s a remake of the 1932 film portrait of gangster Al Capone.
Al Pacino, who plays the title character, Tony Montana, gives a riveting performance on the latest rise and his character is revered as a symbolic figure on how to rise out of nowhere. It’s no wonder that many rappers who come from poverty make constant references to Montana. Scarface lines are constantly repeated in hip hop songs by artists like Lil ‘Wayne and G-Unit. Fat Joe has gone so far as to get an Al Pacino tattoo like Tony Montana.
It seems that many rappers name themselves as leaders of crime families, especially the most recognized name of all, John Gotti.
Irv Gotti, whose real name is Irving Lorenzo, used this stage name in honor of John Gotti. Although Irv is not a rapper, he is responsible for bringing out some of the most popular ones, such as Jay-Z, DMX and Ja Rule.
South Florida’s Rick Ross himself has released his album, Teflon Don, which was nicknamed John Gotti after being acquitted so many times. Ross has many nicknames that all seem to be affiliated with the same field.
As the self-proclaimed “Biggie from his town” put it, “I think I’m Big Meech, Larry Hoover, spanking job, hallelujah.” Larry Hoover, the alleged leader of the Gangster Disciples gang, is currently serving a life sentence for drug conspiracy and extortion. Big Meech is the leader of the Black Mafia Family (BMF) and is currently incarcerated. Ross also has a song called BMF, which stands for Blowin Money Fast. The rapper has tweeted that Meech “embraces his joint and movement”
However, not everyone is happy with Ross’s many aliases. The main name we all know Rick Ross by actually belongs to a drug lord who ran a large drug empire with thousands of employees. Initially sentenced to life in prison, he was released after serving twelve years. The original Rick Ross is now suing the rapper for his identity.
Additionally, John Gotti’s grandson Carmine Agnello has also expressed his discontent towards the rapper for using his grandfather’s nickname Teflon Don. In the New York Daily News, Agnello has stated, “I think he’s a great artist, but you can’t begin to call yourself that to sell records. He wants to bet on that whole picture, but hey, be yourself.” Gotti’s grandson also added: “Only in America can you go from being a prison officer to calling yourself Teflon Don.”
It seems that some rappers have so much admiration for these figures, that they forget that youth admires them and wants to emulate what they do. They also seem to forget to portray the other side of this life, the side where many of them spend a large part of their lives in prison or end up dead. Many of them don’t listen to what the original gangsters for whom they were named are now saying.
The original Rick Ross alongside Frank Lucas, whose life was portrayed in the movie American Gangster, has been encouraging young people to stay away from scammers. Ross has been quoted as saying, “You have to think long term and know what will benefit you in the long run.”
Lucas, who is now confined to a wheelchair, told a New York Magazine interviewer: “I have regrets.” He currently tells the kids to go get an education and “stop listening to the guy on the corner with the gold chain and the big Cadillacs.”
Wu-Tang rapper and frontman Rza played a detective in the movie American Gangster. He wants those who glorify these characters to remember what happened at the end. As they say in LA Focus, “Even though Frank Lucas only spent fifteen years in jail, if you find him on the streets now he is basically crippled. Life will take revenge on you.”
Rapper 50 Cent, who named himself “after a robber boy from Brooklyn who used to steal rappers,” made an insightful statement on this topic in the book From Pieces to Weight. “If I was going to take the name of a gangster, then I want it to at least be someone who tells me” What’s wrong? “On the street if we ever crossed paths. I couldn’t see Gotti or Escobar giving me the time of day.”