Ty$tick, a rapper who is apparently affiliated with the Rolling 30s Bloods gang in Minneapolis, is set to perform at George Floyd’s birthday party, which will be held at the same spot where another member of the gang slayed a man.
The party will be held tonight at the infamous intersection of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue South, beginning at 5 p.m. This area is known as “George Floyd Square” and hosts a memorial on the spot where he died. For over a year after his death, the streets around the intersection were illegally barricaded as activists constructed an “autonomous zone” that successfully banished police and first responders.
During that time, a man named Shantaello Christianson, who is in the Rolling 30s Bloods gang, murdered a fellow gang member outside Cup Foods — just feet from where Floyd died. He was sentenced earlier this week to just six years in prison for the killing.
Now, a rapper known as Ty$tick, who appears to claim allegiance to the same gang, will perform at the square.
“I’m with the gang baby, big Bs,” the rapper declares as he flashes a Bloods gang sign in his song “Livin’ It.” He also sports “Thirties” T-shirts on social media and in other music videos, and his fans make frequent references to the Bloods in comments under his posts.
“I be selling drugs out of sandwich bags, if you go against the gang you don’t stand a chance … bitch I’m really in the gang,” he says in a video he posted to Facebook that prominently features both the name of his gang, “Thirties,” written on shirts and hoodies, and the words “Southside 30z” presented on screen. These terms are also included in all of his social media bios.
“The feds still watching so it’s hard to keep my freedom,” Ty$tick raps in one of his songs, before he alludes to shooting his rivals in the streets of Minneapolis. “Fuck with Ty$tick you can get your life taken,” he says in a different song, reaffirming that he is willing to kill people.
He is apparently a devout supporter of George Floyd. Ty$tick has made several posts on social media in front of Floyd murals and in George Floyd Square. One post even features the rapper wearing a shirt depicting a blazing apartment building that was leveled during the Floyd riots.
Ty$tick will take the stage tonight along with other artists like Lizzo’s DJ Sophia Eris, a choral group called KNOWN Minneapolis, percussion duo Pan Dimensions and fellow rapper Metasota, according to the George Floyd Global Memorial organization, which organized the birthday party.
There will be a candlelight vigil after the musical performances. Partygoers are encouraged to bring their own candles as an “offering,” although tea candles will be provided.
Previous events held at the square have resulted in violence. Most notably, gunfire erupted at the square on May 25 as people gathered there to commemorate the one year anniversary of Floyd’s passing. The violence was captured by TV cameras as reporters broadcast live.
BREAKING: Drive-by shooting caught on Live TV in George Floyd Square as reporter talks about reforming police pic.twitter.com/FZYlIMDcVE
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) May 25, 2021
