Remembering a friend, South African Jabba — HHP like the memory of the late Hollywood Chadwick Boseman
I will always keep apologizing to my loyal readers for always being that non-consistent writer and giving excuses to write; unfortunately, just like a stingy husband does, he only buys a gift for the wife when he feels like but forgetting it is quite a more than a mere romantic gesture (I will try to do well and write beyond the mantra “I only write when I am in the mood”).
In this blog, I want to take a look at three notable twitter quotes that charactered the passing away of Hollywood actor, Chadwick Boseman hyperbolized within the context of a good friend, Jabba, South African HipHop artiste who gave the lights and chance to evergreen South African hip -hop star, Cassper Nyovest.
I stayed away from social media for one year from July 2019 to 2020 August due to many reasons that longed made me felt at a certain moment in August 2019 to September 2019, that I did not deserve to live anymore; oh yes, I was highly depressed, condemned and devastated and the thoughts of suicide rang through my mind amidst the sound of voices that did no good to me but panic attacks with the least chance extremely so because I had made some life-threatening mistakes, some out of sheer willingness to put others and business ahead of mine amidst astonishing betrayals and lack of support from close people.
But today, in September which is World Suicide Prevention Month, I cast my mind to an industry friend whose death is likened to the death of Chadwick. Obviously, this is not a comparison of their might or profession but their relevance to the cause of dealing with something many people were not aware of, a mental torture of suicidal traits and a mental cancer that had a more physical pain to the suffering mind than many have thought of.
Music lovers across Africa particularly hip-hop fans, woke up on 24th October 2018 to hear the sad news of the death of HHP as a result of a committed suicide by hanging with a rope.
According to Wikipedia, Jabulani Tsambo (14 September 1980–24 October 2018), better known by his stage name Hip Hop Pantsula, later shortened to HHP, was a South African Motswako rapper (Motswakolista) who performed in several languages, mostly in Setswana. He was prominent in bringing S.A hip-hop and Motswako rap to the mainstream world.
Sunday Times, narrated the breaking story as ….” Those close to hip-hop star Jabulani Tsambo fondly known as HHP have reportedly detailed how he spoke about feelings of hopelessness and how he felt his life was spiralling out of control in the days before his death.
The star died at his Johannesburg home on Wednesday with a well-known publicist and HHP’s wife Lerato Sengadi confirming his death to TshisaLIVE from the scene. “Yes, yes, it’s true. I am with the family at the moment,” said a traumatized Sengadi.
According to sources, the hip-hop veteran is suspected to have taken his own life and that his body was discovered in his bedroom by his helper. The paper states that in HHP’s last few hours he had claimed he was “losing it”.
“I’m depressed. I’m going out of control. I’m losing it.”
I knew HHP a while back, some years ago but our friendship was ignited with immense closure and made concrete by a Kenyan friend, Buddha Blaze, a renown music entrepreneur who has worked with Def Jam and other notable record labels in the world and most recently with Nigerian brand, Temple Management Team. It is actually through Blaze that my lovely friendship with Abuchi and M.I Abaga was instituted.
As a Ghanaian, creative entrepreneur, I head a team called Platinum Events Productions Africa, a member of OATS Consultancy, a 360 project and management development company headquartered in Lusaka Zambia, a company which birthed MOZO TV and recently launched in August 2020, airing in Zambia as a digital terrestrial television network. Platinum Events Production Africa in July 2017, launched a pan African brand Africa Hip Hop Awards.
The inspiration and support came from our good late friend HHP alongside tow able colleagues Sam and Larry, who was our able guest at the launch of the event in Lusaka in Zambia on 1st July 2017 after successful media launch tours in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and others in 2018.
We had many plans of using the newest formed and created the brand to tackle issues of depression through rap music particularly among the black community who consider such genre as the way of dealing with the torrid experiences they encounter towards breaking into music.
The death of HHP on 24th October 2018 coincided with my abstract break from fully packed creative media industry business since a royalty preoccupation took center stage of my busy life from 2017 till September 2019. Therefore, his death as a result of his integral role in the execution of the Africa Hip Hop Awards and its plans, stopped us off our tracks a bit although I am delighted to say, we are fully back starting with a pan Africa Hip Awards TV show, to be aired in seven countries on partnered TV stations across Africa.
Considering how many times as his friend narrated HHP constant fights with suicide thoughts, it is synonymous with how Chadwick family always knew about the healthy predicament of their loved one out of the public eye and ears. The only difference was that it looked as if, HHP was somehow side-lined from his own abilities to deal with whatever was going on. I can write quite a lot about certain assumptions that envisaged my thoughts on this predicament leading to his death which did not provide us with the kind of ceremonial anecdote that could have been expected of such a darling legendary musician.
Many are fighting hardcore rippling mental depressional illnesses and experiences across the world which is breaking lives, homes and families at the expense of shudder of spasmed gaieties that every human aspires to joyfully experience like a yellow sweetened chocolate on their tongue after a good lunch of a Ghanaian fufu.
The Russo Brothers tweeted: “Chadwick was such an elegant man with great integrity and tremendous talent. He inspired an entire generation to stand up and be king. Honour him by emulating him-show kindness and love to others. Always strive to be a light in the dark”.
HHP was incredibly one of Africa’s flag holder of rap music and he is an epitome of all the description Chadwick has been chalked with by the Russo Brothers; at least our dear industry friend, Casper Nyovest continues to idolize him. Russo Brothers statement goes a long way to create a melting comparison of the traits needed to be exhibited to help people like HHP during his struggling mental depressional moments and to encourage and support people in such conditions.
Borussia Dortmund, one of the world’s biggest football clubs in Germany, tweeted: “In my culture, death is not the end.”. Well, you might argue a supposed suicide is not honourable enough but we need to understand that the culture of many seeing mental health as none means of illness is not acceptable and we must cultivate the many portions of strengthening our monitoring, supporting and curing mental depressions just as the way we are tackling COVID- 19. HHP dealt with mind-blowing mental stress that I believe many in creatives are dealing with and needs exceptional help.
Leila Djansi is a great Ghanaian filmmaker and director and this is how she quoted: “Chadwick quietly battled a cancer diagnosis for four years! He worked on major films carrying this burden. Not once did he appear to be struggling! Be kind to each other. You have no idea the battles people have to fight behind closed doors!”.
Lelia’s statement on Chadwick throws jabs at the very sickening humans whose primary job is to dig at others at their lowest particularly on social media which has somehow become the abattoir to freshly cut of the slices and pieces of people’s meaty adventures whether it directly or indirectly affects them; quite remains a mystery.
HHP had a lot of things happening behind the door that mostly his close people knew about. Like his friend mentioned in the Sunday Times report, he mentioned how worried he had almost been for the past two years before HHP death; the many times he left him to go home and felt waves down his chin because he was not entirely comfortable leaving him as a result of HHP many moments of unsuccessfully attempted suicide.
We live in a world whereby we easily criticise people for their shortcomings, fallings and failings, hiding behind digital, physical and paperless mediums to churn out dozens of words with unfaithful slice of diction to hurt the bone and marrow of souls. We have built a wall across the homes of very mentally depressed victims and yet we can see within the mirror of their problems and failing to reach out by expressing our sincere and genuine support to raise them up.
I believe nobody would have wished September was a month necessarily put aside as World’s Suicide Prevention Month but alas someone like Judas Iscariot made it impossible for one that whose sole sense of guilt betrayed him to do the unthinkable and frankly speaking, anywhere I meet Judas, unfortunately, as I aim for Heaven, I do not intend to meet him, I would surely have asked for a special order to commit him to a community lashing (laughs intended). If you know, you know!!
In all these, it is quite an enviable time to look out for our loved ones and provide them with a sense of security that tomorrow regardless of how today sun has scorched us to weary and sweat, the rains will surely come home one day.
Continue to rest in power, HHP, and to anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide, my condolences in the very Chadwick tribute way; they are all amazing heroes who could not be too confident to share their pain with us.
