Ypsilanti,
MI–I’m not nominating this guy “Father of the Year” but it does seem quite possible that he was victimized by the child support system. In general, the system deals very poorly (and unfairly) with men who suffer large drops in their income, and it appears that rapper MC Breed was such a case.
From Flint rapper MC Breed dies at 37 (Detroit News, 11/22/08):
Influential Flint rapper MC Breed, who was one of the first Midwest rappers to emerge onto the national hip-hop scene, has died, his manager has confirmed to The Detroit News. Breed was 37.
Breed, who scored a hit with his 1991 lo-fi classic “Ain’t No Future in Yo’ Frontin'” and later collaborated with a young Tupac Shakur, was found dead on Saturday at a friend’s home in Ypsilanti, according to Darryl Morris, Breed’s manager. No further details were available as of press time.
Breed, whose given name was Eric Breed, had recently been wrestling with health issues and was admitted to a hospital in his adopted home of Atlanta in September after suffering from kidney failure, according to reports. The rapper was put on life support, according to reports, and had only 30 percent functionality of his kidneys. Plans were put in place to throw a benefit concert for the rapper to raise money for his medical bills, but they were put on hold when his condition seemed to improve…
Detroit rapper Trick Trick says he looked up to MC Breed.
“I salute him for everything he did,” Trick said Saturday. “It was good to see him break out of Flint. It gave a lot of us hope, like, ‘We can do this, too.'”
Breed’s career cooled considerably in recent years, and he spent eight months in prison for a parole violation that was a result of unpaid child support. In April, a Flint judge sentenced him to 60 days in jail as a result of owing more than $200,000 in unpaid child support to three different women.
Read the full article here. He owes $200,000 to three women, but I wonder how much he already paid them? Maybe he stiffed them–or maybe he paid them a considerable sum but simply couldn’t keep up with payments as his career and health declined.
Maybe he’s like Bennie Blades who’s paid over $1 million in child support but was arrested as a “deadbeat dad” because he could no longer keep up payments after his NFL career ended.
In the Flint Journal here, a woman who says she’s Breed’s sister writes:
The ones bashing him about not paying child support or not supporting his kids, obviously don’t know Breed. You are all assuming that because the COURTS STATE he owed $200,000, that he was a dead beat dad and irresponsible father. This man was far from that. If you knew him, you would know he lived with most of his children and supported them.
This is my brother you guys are commenting about. Breed was one of a kind, that would do all he could for his family and friends. Helping others is probably what got my brother in financial trouble, he would give his last to help you out. So to My Bro, I love you, you are my angel in heaven now. You will never be forgotten.
Another poster who apparently claims to know Breed wrote:
Breed took care of his kids mentally, physically, and emotionally. His kids knew their dad loved them more than anything in the world.
The reporter is Adam Graham–I suggest readers contact him and ask him to investigate and pursue the possible child support/injustice angle further. He’s at (313) 222-2284, or agraham@detnews.com.