A rap video which has been viewed millions of times, and even reposted by Diddy has effectively shined the focus on gun violence. The video, just over a minute long, was written and performed in the wake of XXXTentacion's untimely death, and the shooting of teenager Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz. If you have yet to watch, take a minute before you continue reading.
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In the video, a father and his daughter kneel before a man pointing a gun in their direction. The gunman begins singing XXXTentacion's "Changes," the refrain before PnB Rock joins in. The gunnman then passes off and the father seamlessly continues the song on a powerful note.
"I got a promise I made, that daddy would always be there. But daddy been running the streets, I want you to know that I care, Daddy been running in beef, you know that your father is fair. But daddy gonna tell you the truth, so his daughter will never be scared."
The video comes to close without a visceral image of gun splatter, but a vital lesson to his daughter, that he will always love her, regardless of what fate or the gun barrel has in store. The video was posted by the individuals who acted out their roles, Instagram users @gunjin_ and @dashmylo, both aspiring artist out of Philadelphia.
The video inspired a repost out of Diddy who captioned it with the following message: "Such a powerful and profound way to address the tragedy of us killing each other," thus reminding his community to consider their "tribal lines" before they go to war.
