The Marathon Don't Stop by Rob Kenner

Author:Rob Kenner [Kenner, Rob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: 2021-03-23T00:00:00+00:00

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I DON’T STRESS OUT NIGGA, POKE MY CHEST OUT NIGGA

—Nipsey Hussle, “I Don’t Stress,” Slauson Boy 2 (2016)

They called the song “FDT” and dropped it on March 30, 2016. Hip-hop’s powerful rebuke of the presumptive Republican candidate set the internet ablaze. The final version of the track included a sound bite of Trump talking about building his “great wall” on the Mexican border (and getting Mexico to pay for it!) as well as a clip of Tahjila Davis speaking about getting thrown out of the Trump rally. “We tryna touch the people,” YG told Billboard after the song was released. “We tryna motivate all the young people to vote. Really take your time ’cause it’s important, you feel me? If not, it could be all bad for us.”60

“FDT” represented much more than just two rappers dissing a controversial politician. A Blood and a Crip had come together to make a song repping for Mexicans—whose L.A. street culture dates back even farther than the Slausons and the Businessmen. As hard as Nip and YG went in their verses, they still made space for open-minded white folks to join the movement. If historian Mike Davis was right when he said, “I don’t think there’s anything the police fear more than an end to gang warfare,”61 then “FDT” had to be their worst nightmare.

Always using his music to motivate, Hussle invested every song with a sense of purpose. With “FDT” the stakes could not have been higher. It was one thing for Snoop to clown Trump after the election, but YG and Nipsey hit the candidate with a lyrical blast when it really mattered, rallying their fans to get involved in the election. “This was when he was still campaigning,” Hussle said. “So we was just really trying to make sure he didn’t win.”62 All they needed now were the visuals.

On April 3, 2016, YG and Hussle met up with director Austin Simkins, aka Salty State, to plan the “FDT” video in the streets of L.A. YG and Hussle shot the first scenes together on Fairfax, then split up to do separate shoots in different locations. There was no need to organize extras. As soon as they started blasting the song a crowd formed. The helicopters and squad cars were provided courtesy of the LAPD at no additional cost.

Hussle shot his scenes a few blocks south of The Marathon Clothing store, near Crenshaw and Florence Avenue. Cars were cruising by slow to watch the action as a group of young people hollered, “Fuck Donald Trump!” Somebody called the cops, who turned up in force. Cobby Supreme sat on top of his white Impala, waving his hands in the air as his homies climbed on top of the vehicle with him, enjoying the moment. A police officer approached him, pointing a green plastic Taser gun at him. “This is my car,” he told the cop, who held his fire. But the squad cars kept arriving—as did the news crews.63

“Fucc Donald Trump video shoot was lit!” local artist J23 posted on Instagram.

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