The body count continues to rise --- and the mainstream press begins to suspect something.
A month and a half ago The Black Rod exposed the links between seven Winnipeg homicide victims and street gangs inspired by gangster rap, and modelled on the granddaddys of street gangs, the Crips and the Bloods.
Today, the death toll has grown to eight definite, with #9 pencilled in.
Nathan Starr, 14, joined the death list Tuesday when he died in a firebombing of a house on Mountain Avenue. He was a member of the M.O.B. street gang. Two suspects arrested for the firebombing are members of the Indian Posse.
The genteel Winnipeg Free Press reporter Gabrielle Giroday reported Wednesday the initials M.O.B. stood for Most Organized Brothers. Her colleague Bruce Owen offered an alternate name Thursday -- 'Money Over B____', a mystery name designed to spare the sensibilities of Free Press readers.
Let's quit playing games.
Starr was a member of Money Over Bitches, or Money Ovah Bitches in gang argot. Giroday was right when she said the gang is "named after a reference to a song by late rapper Tupac Shakur."
That song, appropriately enough, is named M.O.B. and here's a sampling of the lyrics and the chorus.
"M.O.B."
[Chorus 2X: 2Pac]
M.O.B., nigga 'cause we mob on you tricks
and you know we keep it money over bitches
[2Pac]
Thugs known to bust on sight
God bless my crazy life la vida loca homie livin that thug life
Been raised in violence homicide's my lullaby
Came with the homies and learned to kick it until we die
Boss players you wonder why live the life of a ghetto kingpin, just let me ride
Bitches and niggaz in penitentary suits
I send 'em letters and money orders and make 'em my troops
As for you females, I got no time, I gotta get mine
You cannot blind me addicted to a life of crime
My time as shorty was full of car chases
While runnin with John Gotti's and Scarface's
Niggas knew, I'd be the Don in my own crew
A million niggaz with automatics who swarm through
You wonder who shot me here's a clue, stay alert
Cause we comin' for you, and keep it money over bitches
The Urban Dictionary defines M.O.B. this way:
" 1. M.O.B. Money over Bitches (2pac), but originally Member of bloods (from the gangs of Los Angeles)
2. M.O.B. Money Over Bitches/Member Of Bloods
The late Tupac Shakur defined the fraze M.O.B to mean 'money of bitches', although this definition had a meaning of its own, what tupac actually ment when he said it was that he was now MOB related, i.e, a Member Of Bloods. The Bloods are a west LA street gang.
Therefore the fraze is actually a clever double meaning.
Some rappers still use the fraze 'MOB' to mean Tupacs defined meaning 'Money Over Bitches' without knowing what he was truly implying. "
Sweet, eh.
And the Free Press, never one to miss a trick, headlined their firebombing story Thursday "Deadly Fire part of Gang War?"
Well, DUH.
The Black Rod has been reporting an on-going gang war in the North End for two years. It took a police news conference for the FP to notice.
They still haven't made the connection between the gangsta-life gangs and seven, now eight, murders/ killings/ deaths in the past year.
Oh well, give them time. There may be a news conference on that one day.
But since our exclusive story on the gang wars engulfing Winnipeg, we did more digging and believe we've uncovered a ninth for the list.
Kyle Boss, 21, was beaten to death Aug. 31 in what police called "a gang-related attack" .
The tattoos on his neck suggested some gang involvement on his part, but Kyle Boss's girlfriend and mother of his three children has gone on record saying "he was never active into gang activity."
Nevertheless, tributes to him have appeared on social networking sites popular with gang members and their friends. This one also references a well-known-to-police street gang.
JecKie westsydebrim
Rip Kyle Boss, 0 Replies. haha. lol. A, 0 Replies. WESTSIDE BLOODZ <3cass. memberid="4024720142">
Even if Boss, himself, was not in a gang, his attackers certainly were. The attack on him took place on Beverley Street. While police have not identified the gang that attacked Boss, it wasn't hard to discover which gang is "active" in the area...
May 23, 2007
Winnipeg attack-kidnap suspect held
By DEAN PRITCHARD, SUN MEDIA
Police have arrested a third suspect wanted in the brutal assault and kidnapping of a 40-year-old city woman last February...All three accused are members of the Mad Cowz street gang. The victim is believed to be the mother of a gang member involved in a drug dispute with the three accused. Police say the woman was walking near the corner of Sargent Avenue and Beverley Street about 10 p.m. when three men abducted her.
Counting Kyle Boss as another murder linked to gangs means that one in three homicides in the past year (9 of 26) can be traced to one root cause :
A gangsta rap subculture that's gone unreported anywhere but in The Black Rod.
************
Empire Cabaret Murder Update
The Winnipeg police have a suspect in the stabbing murder of Jeff Engen.
We're informed that a well-known motorcycle enthusiast may, as the saying goes, have information bearing on the case.
Stay tuned.
A month and a half ago The Black Rod exposed the links between seven Winnipeg homicide victims and street gangs inspired by gangster rap, and modelled on the granddaddys of street gangs, the Crips and the Bloods.
Today, the death toll has grown to eight definite, with #9 pencilled in.
Nathan Starr, 14, joined the death list Tuesday when he died in a firebombing of a house on Mountain Avenue. He was a member of the M.O.B. street gang. Two suspects arrested for the firebombing are members of the Indian Posse.
The genteel Winnipeg Free Press reporter Gabrielle Giroday reported Wednesday the initials M.O.B. stood for Most Organized Brothers. Her colleague Bruce Owen offered an alternate name Thursday -- 'Money Over B____', a mystery name designed to spare the sensibilities of Free Press readers.
Let's quit playing games.
Starr was a member of Money Over Bitches, or Money Ovah Bitches in gang argot. Giroday was right when she said the gang is "named after a reference to a song by late rapper Tupac Shakur."
That song, appropriately enough, is named M.O.B. and here's a sampling of the lyrics and the chorus.
"M.O.B."
[Chorus 2X: 2Pac]
M.O.B., nigga 'cause we mob on you tricks
and you know we keep it money over bitches
[2Pac]
Thugs known to bust on sight
God bless my crazy life la vida loca homie livin that thug life
Been raised in violence homicide's my lullaby
Came with the homies and learned to kick it until we die
Boss players you wonder why live the life of a ghetto kingpin, just let me ride
Bitches and niggaz in penitentary suits
I send 'em letters and money orders and make 'em my troops
As for you females, I got no time, I gotta get mine
You cannot blind me addicted to a life of crime
My time as shorty was full of car chases
While runnin with John Gotti's and Scarface's
Niggas knew, I'd be the Don in my own crew
A million niggaz with automatics who swarm through
You wonder who shot me here's a clue, stay alert
Cause we comin' for you, and keep it money over bitches
The Urban Dictionary defines M.O.B. this way:
" 1. M.O.B. Money over Bitches (2pac), but originally Member of bloods (from the gangs of Los Angeles)
2. M.O.B. Money Over Bitches/Member Of Bloods
The late Tupac Shakur defined the fraze M.O.B to mean 'money of bitches', although this definition had a meaning of its own, what tupac actually ment when he said it was that he was now MOB related, i.e, a Member Of Bloods. The Bloods are a west LA street gang.
Therefore the fraze is actually a clever double meaning.
Some rappers still use the fraze 'MOB' to mean Tupacs defined meaning 'Money Over Bitches' without knowing what he was truly implying. "
Sweet, eh.
And the Free Press, never one to miss a trick, headlined their firebombing story Thursday "Deadly Fire part of Gang War?"
Well, DUH.
The Black Rod has been reporting an on-going gang war in the North End for two years. It took a police news conference for the FP to notice.
They still haven't made the connection between the gangsta-life gangs and seven, now eight, murders/ killings/ deaths in the past year.
Oh well, give them time. There may be a news conference on that one day.
But since our exclusive story on the gang wars engulfing Winnipeg, we did more digging and believe we've uncovered a ninth for the list.
Kyle Boss, 21, was beaten to death Aug. 31 in what police called "a gang-related attack" .
The tattoos on his neck suggested some gang involvement on his part, but Kyle Boss's girlfriend and mother of his three children has gone on record saying "he was never active into gang activity."
Nevertheless, tributes to him have appeared on social networking sites popular with gang members and their friends. This one also references a well-known-to-police street gang.
JecKie westsydebrim
Rip Kyle Boss, 0 Replies. haha. lol. A, 0 Replies. WESTSIDE BLOODZ <3cass. memberid="4024720142">
Even if Boss, himself, was not in a gang, his attackers certainly were. The attack on him took place on Beverley Street. While police have not identified the gang that attacked Boss, it wasn't hard to discover which gang is "active" in the area...
May 23, 2007
Winnipeg attack-kidnap suspect held
By DEAN PRITCHARD, SUN MEDIA
Police have arrested a third suspect wanted in the brutal assault and kidnapping of a 40-year-old city woman last February...All three accused are members of the Mad Cowz street gang. The victim is believed to be the mother of a gang member involved in a drug dispute with the three accused. Police say the woman was walking near the corner of Sargent Avenue and Beverley Street about 10 p.m. when three men abducted her.
Counting Kyle Boss as another murder linked to gangs means that one in three homicides in the past year (9 of 26) can be traced to one root cause :
A gangsta rap subculture that's gone unreported anywhere but in The Black Rod.
************
Empire Cabaret Murder Update
The Winnipeg police have a suspect in the stabbing murder of Jeff Engen.
We're informed that a well-known motorcycle enthusiast may, as the saying goes, have information bearing on the case.
Stay tuned.