T.I. Defends YouTube Personality Kevin Samuels, Blasts Critics Celebrating His Death
The death of popular YouTube personality and image consultant Kevin Samuels took many by surprise when news of his passing surfaced this past Thursday evening (May 5). Samuels, who reportedly passed away as a result of a heart attack, which occurred while he was on a date with a woman in Atlanta, was 53-years-old at the time of his death. While a number of the YouTuber’s supporters mourned his death by celebrating his impact and legacy, others who took issue with his polarizing talking points, particularly those concerning women and gender roles, have been accused of taking satisfaction in his passing on social media and elsewhere.
Rap star T.I., who is no stranger to stirring up controversy with inflammatory statements of his own, took to Instagram to defend Samuels, accusing his detractors of “bullying” him in death. Referring to Samuels as a “guru,” T.I. deemed cruel reactions to his passing a “f**king travesty of justice,” considering his critics “despicable.”
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“I can’t stand it, I can’t stand it. I ain’t gon’ let y’all bully this dead man. We gon’ let this man rest in peace,” the Atlanta native said in the clip. “Whatever he did, he did it and [he’s] gone. He got away with it, f**k ya. That’s between him and God. Him and the Lord gon’ have to deal with it. You ain’t got no heaven or hell to put him in. So, I wanna see who the f**k wanna say something to me while I’m still alive.”
Samuels, who went viral after deeming one livestream caller “average, at best,” had amassed a massive following across various social media platforms, boasting over 1.4 million subscribers on his YouTube channel and over 1.2 million followers on Instagram at the time of his death. He was also gaining traction within mainstream Hip-Hop culture, with figures like Nicki Minaj, Future, Brittany Renner, and reality TV star Tommie Lee all having sat down to speak with him since his rise to fame.
