Watching Hard Stop: A Documentary about Mark Duggan

The other day I watched Hard Stop, a documentary about Mark Duggan. For those who don’t know, Mark is the young man from Tottenham who was killed by the police. The police made the claim that they shot him because he pulled out a gun however, the evidence makes this seem very unlikely. Following this there was outrage in Tottenham and this sparked off what we now know as the England riots.

The documentary follows the lives of two of Mark’s very close friends. Two friends that have grown up in the street life and are trying to make a change. This topic highlights an area that is super important to me. Most of those I grew up with got caught up in the street life and because I was so close and escaped, my heart is for ever attached to those within it.In a system that makes you feel like nothing, a system that categorises you as hopeless, and an environment where poverty is the norm, it is easy to get caught in the street life. Some don’t understand that. I spoke to a young black girl the other day and she just didn’t get why there was so much violence (During this time there was a lot of stabbings within the space of two weeks).We all have decisions to make in life however, when you are young, impressionable and feel like the world is against you, it is hard to escape the luxury lifestyle. The flashy cars, the jewellery, the money, the power and the hot girls.Mark unlawfully lost his life. His death was another example in Britain that showed how black life is treated with little worth and that the biggest gang in the world is the police. His friends were hurt by this, hurt by the fact that his life could be taken just like that.One of his friends had a family and was working hard to find a job so that he could provide for them. He struggled hard to find one, eventually though he managed to get a job in Norwich. Imagine he had to go all the way to Norwich to get a job that didn’t pay that well, but was just about enough!

That’s another thing that is super hard. Going from making crazy money on the streets to working for so much less. That is one of the hardest transitions to make. It is hard enough prior to going down the street pathway, but once you have earned money one way it is difficult to do so another way. This is especially true when there is a huge pay cut.

I remember on one track, Bashy said that working for minimum wage is not cutting it and why he understands that his mandem are cutting up drugs and selling it. It’s tough. We all want to “make it” in life and be successful. We all want to be happy and avoid pain. Unfortunately for many, the road to happiness is attached with a lot of risk and pain.

The other friend ended up going to prison because of his involvement in the riots. He initially was part of the peaceful protest, but the frustration of injustice caused a flame to ignite. He didn’t want all the damage that was done to the properties and all of the businesses to happen, his aggression was strictly towards the police and the law system. However, it unfortunately became a candy shop for opportunist to cause havoc elsewhere.

Prior to him going prison, Mark’s friend converted to Islam and on his return he was working hard to try and help young people to avoid going down the route that he went. This eventually caused him to mentor Mark Duggan’s son who was also going down the road towards street life.

This documentary reminded me of one of the reasons why it is so important for me to do what I can to build my brand and make it in music. Rap is a huge platform to speak to the masses, especially young people, the problem is that there is not much balance. I no longer cast my eye on the “gangster music” as the problem, all stories need to be told. It is just that there is a lack of balance and the other road does not seem so glamorous. When you really look into it most people on road really want to get away from it. It is is seen as the hand that was played. Only a mad man from road would want to have a child that goes through the same street struggles as they did.

White people have a lot of examples of success in a variety of areas. Many are ignorant to the issues of black advancement because they see a few black people that have “made it”. That’s why films like Hidden Figures are important, they show that there is another way.

Most of the prominent black figures are from Sports and Entertainment. This is one of the reasons why I didn’t want to be a rapper, but these platforms can be used to inspire. Look at Muhammad Ali, look at Public Enemy and look at Akala.

I could really go into a lot more depth about this documentary, but I will let you watch it. It is a powerful insight into the Mark Duggan story and it is one that showcases the challenges that many young people have to face.

If you’ve got Netflix, check it out!