Why proof died

The police initially reported that Proof brandished a gun that was licensed to him - and the media ran with this story. Etheridge has not been charged with murder by the authorities but instead faces two counts of possessing and discharging a weapon without a license. In a preliminary hearing, he pleaded not guilty to these charges. In Michigan if an individual fatally shoots someone while coming to the defence of another, it is not considered murder or manslaughter.

On 27 April, 16 days after the incident, the Detroit police announced that Proof did not enter the CCC club with a firearm. They also stated that Etheridge did not arrive with a pistol either, but rather grabbed a gun during the ensuing ruckus. That may well be true, but according to H. Mack - a very close childhood friend of Proof's who was near enough to the action that night to have been shot in the hand by a stray bullet and treated at the same hospital where Proof was pronounced dead - even the revamped police version of events isn't quite right.

Guns started goin' off. P hit the guy, and then his cousin Etheridge fired shots into the ceiling. I do not believe P shot the man - he'd never shoot nobody unless they fired first. That's who he was. Yeah, they were fighting over some bullshit but he would never, ever shoot someone over some bullshit. It was all just fucked up. It is on a barren corner of 8 Mile across from a giant yellow Mega Pawn store.

The CCC is on the black city side, and has been a hotbed of illegality and violence since In February of this year, a bouncer at the club was shot twice in the torso. The courts decide the rest. When you have a location that is a magnet for trouble, we do what we can to see the situation resolved.

When you have owners operating illegally, they're setting the tone for whatever occurs from that point on. It might seem surprising that Proof, a founding member of the million-earning Shady family - the music collective that, second only to Motown, has put Detroit music on the map - was even in such a club.

Buoyed by Eminem's success, he had enjoyed huge hits with the D12 albums Devil's Night and last year's D12 World, a number one in both Britain and America.

But he wasn't at the CCC to bolster his street credibility - he was there because as countless friends testify, he was Detroit to the core. Proof was a man who rarely slept: he was either at clubs, in the studio or napping between the two.

Long after he didn't need to care for others, he did, helping, guiding and influencing everyone around him and apprenticing local rappers: Hand 2 Hand: Official Mixtape Instruction Manual, the first mixtape release on his Iron Fist label, stars MCs who would never have been heard outside of Detroit if it weren't for Proof.

He also used his fame to work for local musicians' benefits, encouraging them to join the Musicians Union, which provides them with healthcare and pensions. He did not brag about these efforts, nor boast of his guidance of Eminem and Obie Trice's careers. Proof was key in selecting the instrumental tracks that best suited their skills, and inspired Eminem at all times of day and night by text messaging him couplets and rhymed phrases.

Proof was a nimble, witty freestyle MC, with a ferociously curious mind. He loved everything from Miles Davis to Jimi Hendrix. He was a gifted and giving anomaly, a rapper who cared for art over materialism, but did all he could to bring wealth to others.

The easiest way to understand Proof is to ask this simple question: what other rapper with the rhyme skills and smarts to pen chart hits, and on the heels of multi-platinum success and the worldwide attention brought through his association with Eminem, would choose to release as his debut solo album an introspective record inspired by the philosophy of the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia - last year's Searching for Jerry Garcia. Proof was represented in two ways in 8 Mile, the biopic based on Eminem's life.

He played the MC that causes 'Rabbit' Eminem to choke in the first battle-rap scene of the film. But his true spirit inspired the dreadlocked character 'Future' played by Mekhi Phifer , the MC who organized and refereed the rap battles.

He encourages Rabbit to find his voice as a rapper, just as Proof did for Marshall Mathers. Swift of D12 said it best shortly after hearing that his friend had died, when gathered with Proof's closest friends - a hundred or so strong - at St.

Andrew's Hall, the club where he had hosted so many rap battles. DeShaun Holton's father was once involved in the music industry and produced records by acts including Tower of Power. In an interview, however, Proof once referred to his father as a 'crackhead' and it has been alleged that his mother was also involved in drugs. He attended Gesu private school in his youth before enrolling at Osborn High on Detroit's east side. Proof was the consummate diplomat, charming everyone.

The rapper even parlayed that reputation into a series of judged rap competitions that were filmed for DVD release. All Sections. About Us. B2B Publishing. Business Visionaries. Hot Property. He will be missed as a friend, father and both the heart and ambassador of Detroit hip-hop. Though the focus since Tuesday's incident has been on reports from police that it was year-old Proof born DeShaun Holton who fired first, shooting Keith Bender Jr.

Proof was funny, he was smart, he was charming. He inspired everyone around him. He can never, ever be replaced. He will be missed. You Tell Us.