Coolio’s death at 59 should remind Black men not to neglect their health care

Coolio, who rose to prominence after the Grammy-winning “Gangsta’s Paradise,” died last week at the age of 59. The details surrounding his death are still vague, and TMZ showed pictures of him in good spirits just days before his passing. His death highlights a much larger issue: Since 2020, Black male rappers have been dying young by non-violent deaths.

DMX passed away at 50; Black Rob died two weeks later at 52. The list also included Biz Markie, Shock G from Digital Underground, and Gift of Gab from Blackalicious, all in their 40s or 50s. I began thinking about the cause of these premature deaths and looking inward. I began to see the ultimate tragedy of not seeing Black men get to grow old.

I think of the Chris Rock joke about how his family would handle any medical issue growing up. Rock joked, “I broke my leg once; daddy poured Robitussin all over it...Let that ‘tussin get down to the bone!” Whatever the case, the solution was just Robitussin.

It was funny and, of course, mostly tongue-in-cheek, but the sentiment was genuine. After this past year with my father battling prostate cancer, the questions came up to me: Do you know where your health lies? I would ask my Black male friends about screenings and checkups, and there would be discomfort in the conversation. It could be a lack of health care and financial issues, but it could just be complete mistrust of going to medical professionals.

I spoke with Dr. Shari Dade, Psychologist & Key Consultant of Everyday Psychology, LLC, in the Columbia area. I spoke with her about Coolio and the passing of young Black men. Why don’t we go to the doctor?

“Black people, men especially, can carry a level of mistrust and skepticism for the medical profession due to the mistreatment of and neglect that has happened in our community,” Dade said. “This can lead to Black men being apprehensive when it comes to taking a proactive approach to seeking medical screenings and treatments.”

I think about those comments and remember two years ago the mistrust of the COVID-19 vaccine that would come from various people in the Black community. The ones that objected the loudest were Black men. In the press, NBA star Kyrie Irving was considered selfish for not taking the vaccine and playing with his team. In Black circles, it’s confirmation for Black men who are skeptical of anything government-sanctioned in medical situations.

But I wondered even more: The men we are talking about dying are celebrities. The public isn’t aware of Coolio’s financial conditions. Still, the assumption would be that after some of these notable Black men make it, they should have the financial stability to get these checkups and take care of possible medical crises. Dr. Dade responds.

“Having money and access to wellness resources doesn’t always mean someone is going to be engaging in better health habits. The thoughts we have about our personal need to engage in healthy patterns ultimately drive how we take care of ourselves.”

It’s true. My father recently told me about a friend dealing with some pain, enough so that he should get it checked. When my father asked him why he didn’t go, his friend responded, “What if it’s some bad news I don’t want to hear?” Opting to have ‘The Color Purple’ death of just dying without any warning as if it’s better than knowing your fate ahead of time.

I disagree with that sentiment because maybe getting checked earlier can prevent something much worse. As Black men, we deal with fear every day. A routine traffic stop can be fatal. But so can health neglect. I encourage the Black men in my life: Let’s do the uncomfortable. Get the prostate check, get the colonoscopy, get the physical, and check your cholesterol because the world is better with you in it, and I want us to all get to be grumpy older men complaining about the taste in kids’ music. I like that for all of us.

Preach Jacobs is a two-time South Carolina Press Association award winner for column writing, local hip-hop artist and DJ.