RIP Mr. Sunny

none of you probably knew Mr. Sunny, but he lived directly across from me on my mom's block.



He was my homeboy Art's dad.

ya know, out of all the homies from the block, Art was the only one who lived with a mom and a dad.


Art's moved on, he's got a wife and family in Florida, and Mr. Sunny was still on the block...



Till This past Thursday.



Mr. Sunny lost his battle with the big C.



Mr. Sunny and I used to have a lot of conversations, when I ran into him fixing his van, or watering his garden.



I'm gonna miss him... I'm gonna miss the way he always called me by my nickname, in a growling kinda way... "Raaah RAHH!"

Mr. Sunny hated hip-hop. He thought it was just a bunch of rascals yellin and cussin'.



I remember a great story, my homie bought a CD of young lady by the name of BOSS. she made an album, Born Gangstaz, which my then next-door neighbor bought and blasted on the steps of the crib.

now Boss had a nice little diddy on her album called "I Don't Give a F&%" which contained these quotable lyrics...

CHORUS-

I don't give a f, not a single f***
not a single solitary f&&& I don't give a fuck motherf***!

[Bo$$]
I don't give a f*** about none of y'all!
Big ballin' a** BO$$ takin' two to
Ya head with a sawed off shotgun
Give it up cuz I'm one crazed b****!
Rollin' thick, gang full of lunatics bailin
Runnin' through the mud
Escaped from the cell block searchin' for the g** d*mn judge
Cuz its simple to get revenge on a punk
Pop the trunk, grab the pump and pull the trigger my n***a!

now that's some indubitable sh*t, son (c) Thugnificent.



Now, Mr. Sunny, like anyone who heard this, immediately wrote hip-hop off as some stupid nonsense.



So ever since then, we'd have chats about hip-hop and what it was, and what it wasn't... and I don't think I ever convinced him that hip-hop was good, but he always was willing to listen, unlike most adults at that time.

No matter what was going on, "Pops," as the fellas called him, was always around...always cracking a joke, always smiling..with his signature cigar in his mouth. I never remember him being in a bad mood.

Imma miss you, Mr. Sunny.... Thanks for enlightening us young brothers. May God bless you and your family.