Ice-T addressed the reality of LA gang culture on Wednesday following the death of PnB Rock. While his comments didn’t directly reference the Philly rapper’s tragic passing, they brought to life just how dangerous LA can be, even for celebrities. The Law & Order: SVU star made links between hip-hop stars’ lack of jewelry and LA’s sharp rise in crime.
“People are still hitting me up about my comments about LA gang culture,” Ice-T explained on Twitter. “If you notice, LA rappers don’t wear a lotta jewelry…Me, Snoop, Cube, Dre, Game, Kendrick. The list goes on…It’s not cause we’re broke. LA is just a dangerous place, rapper or not. Why test the streets.”
The gangsta rap legend did go on to say that some stars do wear jewelry, but said many only wear expensive pieces on “certain occasions” because of the risk of theft.
“That’s on certain occasions when you’re ready for whatever…I have big jewelry too…but you don’t wake up EVERYDAY and put it on to go down the block,” he explained.
The death of Pnb Rock
Ice-T’s statements came just after the fatal shooting of PnB Rock which took place in LA on Monday. The 30-year-old was gunned down during a robbery, with his jewelry reportedly stolen as the suspect fled the scene. His death is one of the latest incidents in Los Angeles as the city experiences a rise in crime.
The robbery occurred soon after the rapper’s girlfriend posted their location in a since deleted Instagram post. Police are investigating whether that sparked the attack. They have also notified pawn shops to be on the lookout for Rock’s stolen jewelry and other items.
Instagram has been at the heart of several crimes in recent years. New York rapper Pop Smoke was killed in February 2020 during an armed robbery. He had accidentally revealed his location in an Instagram post. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian have also been robbed after posting jewelry and other accessories on social media.
Written by Olan Bryant
