As more cities and states begin to reopen amid COVID-19, more artists are revealing how the virus has hit home for them.
The virus has already claimed the live of Bronx rapper Fred The Godson and forced Scarface to go on dialysis after he suffered kidney failure. Now, Papoose and Remy Ma are speaking out about how the virus has affected them.
The pair recently sat down with The Real and broke down how their lives have changed under quarantine, how their relationship has grown and how COVID-19 has personally affected them.
“We know a lot of people who’ve gotten sick,” the couple said in unison while holding their 1-year-old daughter. “One of my friends lost both of her parents within ten days,” Remy added.
Papoose continued, “One of my cousins passed away from coronavirus … one of my uncles passed away and the hospitals are so focused on COVID-19, that they’re not really catering to them. So it was a neglect thing but you can’t question God’s plan. I have a ton of friends who actually have coronavirus so it’s rampant. It’s really hit home.”
At the current time, New York City has over 170,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nearly 40,000 recoveries. Sadly, more than 13,000 people have lost their lives and the number has made Pap and Rem consider temporarily leaving the area.
“We talk about it all the time,” Remy said.”When it first started getting really serious, we thought whether or not we should stay here or go to a house that we have in North Carolina. It seemed like it was an option then but then it got so bad that we didn’t know if we could even leave with the baby.
“Then, what if we get sick? Would we rather be in a small town in North Carolina or be in New York City where they have all the resources? So we thugged it out. If it continues for an extended period of time? We might go.”
Papoose added, “When this first started, they said it wouldn’t be smart to relocate to another city because their numbers would catch up to New York. That never happened. But if this continues to get worse? For the sake of us and our child, we’re going to have to move.”
Watch Rem and Pap’s full interview with The Real above.
Hip Hop has stepped up during the pandemic with many artists contributing to their hometown communities. Eminem recently donated “Mom’s Spaghetti” to local Detroit healthcare workers, JAY-Z and Rihanna’s foundation donated $2 million towards COVID-19 relief efforts, Lil Durk handed out meals to frontline workers in Chicago and Diddy has hosted multiple virtual town-halls to discuss pressing issues during the pandemic.