Hip Hop

Late Rapper Goonew Fans Disturbed By Video Of His Body In A Club Upright

Goonew
Goonew / IG

DMV rapper Goonew’s fans angered after a video surfaced on social media of his body propped up in a nightclub for a supposed send off party.

For some, it seemed like it was ripped from a headline of ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not,’ but the truth is often stranger than fiction. On Sunday, April 3, a large group of mourners and well-wishers turned up at a nightclub to pay their final respects to murdered rapper Goonew, but what they got was much more than they bargained for.

Goonew, whose real name is Markelle Morrow, was shot and killed on March 18 in Prince George’s County in Maryland, and the family hosted a public viewing two weeks later on Sunday at the Bliss Night Club. However, instead of life-size photographs or even a hologram of the deceased, what they instead were treated to was his embalmed body propped up on the stage wearing a crown and chic designer outfit.

When clips of the body being upfront and present started making the rounds, social media lost its mind and pretty much the contents of its collective stomachs as well. The attendees paid a cover charge of $40 to get in and be a part of the activities, but many were shocked, and more than a bit creeped out that the deceased was propped up as if he was overseeing the event himself. Social media definitely had a lot to say about what went down, and while some cited it as being inappropriate and disrespectful to the dead, others said that while it would not have been their personal choice, if those were his last wishes, so be it.

One comment read, “I know people are shocked with this but I’ve heard of other cultures doing this. Not a big deal to me. There is more to transitioning over than the regular coffin and dirt routine.”

At the same time, another stated, “The fact that y’all mad at Goonew’s family decision on how HIS funeral should’ve went is crazy. Y’all opinions ain’t matter then and they don’t matter now. They did a good job. They did wtf he was known for and most likely would’ve wanted. Y’all the weird ones.”

Others had less ringing endorsements of the whole setup. One individual noted, “I’d haunt my family for embarrassing me like this.” Another chimed, “You wouldn’t have caught me in there after that. Y’all trying to normalize weird sh*t.”

The Night club where the viewing took place has since issued a statement, distancing itself from what went down, saying that they were not told what would have occurred. The statement stated, “Bliss was never made aware of what would have transpired. We sincerely apologized to all those who may be upset or offended.”

In the Caribbean, the viewing of a dead body is not considered that big a deal as culturally; they do have similar activities. In Jamaica, for example, when celebrities, politicians, or heads of state die, there is usually a viewing of the body at the National Arena. One of the last major viewing held was for reggae icon Toots Hibbert in November 2020.

Nevertheless, the difference in this situation is the manner in which Goonew’s body was presented to the viewing public standing in designer gear inside a nightclub with a crown on his head.