The rape of a young woman in New York’s Central Park on the night of April 19, 1989 resulted in teenage suspects Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray and Yusef Salaam being convicted of a crime they didn’t commit.
The Central Park Five’s (now known as the Exonerated Five) story has become symbolic like many others in the push for change in the justice system.
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
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On Sunday (December 1), director Ava DuVernay took to Twitter to mention how appreciative she is to Nipsey Hussle‘s estate for providing her with music to blanket the end credits to the critically-acclaimed Netflix series, When They See Us.
For WHEN THEY SEE US, I wanted Nipsey’s voice to blanket the end credits and close the five-hour film. His estate gave me approval during a very hard time for them, with no monetary gain, just two weeks after his passing. A massive gift. Forever grateful. pic.twitter.com/txa6sJr37k
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) December 1, 2019
Nipsey raps “Trying to stay focused, kinda like Moses/like somebody chose us, this weight on my shoulders/I feel these emotions, but still I keep going” in the song “Picture Me Rollin” from the mixtape Slauson Boy 2, as highlights of what the Exonerated Five endured as juveniles play in the background.
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DuVernay made sure to mention there was no monetary gain from Nipsey’s estate, although there was a standard fee paid.
“Monetary gain and standard fees are two different things in the licensing world,” she said. “Of course, the standard was paid. But the estate wasn’t concerned with gains in that moment. We all wanted to honor his legacy and have his words echo. Their gift to all of us.”
Thanks, @gringo_mijo. Monetary gain and standard fees are two different things in the licensing world. Of course, the standard was paid. But the estate wasn’t concerned with gains in that moment. We all wanted to honor his legacy and have his words echo. Their gift to all of us.
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) December 1, 2019
Nipsey was murdered in cold-blood outside of his Marathon Clothing store in Los Angeles on March 31. Nip’s short life involved constant community advocacy about social justice and financial stability within his environment.
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The alleged killer, Eric Holder, is set to begin trial in February 2020.
