ATLANTA — Hundreds of people gathered at an Atlanta park Thursday night, in mourning and reflection, honoring and celebrating the rapper Trouble.
Mariel Orr, 34, was shot and killed in Conyers over the weekend.
At the vigil at Coan Park in southeast Atlanta, family and fans listened to his music and danced a dance of life and love, for the poet, the musician, the writer – the Atlanta native who overcame his own troubles earlier in his life, to transform himself into the rapper, Trouble, who belonged to the world.
“He loved them, and they love him,” Trouble’s younger brother, Huncho, told 11Alive.
In tears of grief, he said he was overwhelmed at the outpouring of support from so many who wanted to be at the vigil with him and his family.
“Everybody know how he kicked,” he said, “He was a real one. He’s what they call a real one. He ain’t going nowhere, his memory ain’t going nowhere, we gonna make sure of that.”
Fans came to the vigil from across the country, and from around the world, speaking about the powerful impact Trouble and his music have had in their lives.
“He was positive, he was inspiring, he was a peacemaker,” said Aldis, from Iceland.
“The fact that we lost someone so special here in Atlanta, you know, we’re just here to show support and show love,” said Juelle from New York.
Scotty Smart was as close to Trouble as a brother, and as he began to speak about him, he stepped away to compose himself and catch his breath at the enormity of his loss.
He looked at the huge crowds dancing and singing along to Trouble’s recordings.
“I haven’t been able to accept the fact that I lost the only person that I talked to every day,” Smart said. “But the beauty of it is, Trouble had such a big heart, that so many other people feel just as connected to him as I did.”
A colleague in the entertainment business, the DJ and Atlanta-based radio and TV host, Fly Guy DC, reflected on the changes Trouble made to his life that resonated with fans who respected his focus on family and community.
“He changed all of that around and became like a community activist, and was doing a lot in the community, was doing a lot in the schools,” he said. “It made so many more people respect him. Trouble will be remembered as determined, ambitious, phenomenal.”
This night was a moment for people to put out of their minds how Trouble died—shot to death early Sunday morning, caught in an argument that another man was having with a woman. This night was also a moment to celebrate how Trouble’s music inspired them, grounded them, and gave them hope.
Another close friend, Queen, called him, “A pure soul, he was one of the realest people you will ever meet, he was genuine, if you ever felt his love, you was blessed to know his love. We’re gonna keep him alive, he’s a legend, he will forever be a legend. Long live ‘Skoob’.”
The man charged with killing Trouble, Jamichael Jones, 33, remains in the Rockdale County jail, as prosecutors prepare their case against him.
Trouble’s family is planning Trouble’s funeral for Monday at 11 a.m., at House of Hope Atlanta at 4650 Flat Shoals Pkwy in Decatur, Georgia.