On a day for flowers, family, and warm hugs, the city of Philadelphia lost a voice that had been campaigning for change for so long. LGP QUA, whose actual name was Qidere Johnson, was killed in a failed robbery on Mother’s Day, leaving the entire area devastated and police searching for answers.
Despite being only 30, he was more than just a rapper from the ghetto. He was a force for youth, a hometown hero who walked the walk with a flow that had meaning. He didn’t just rap about Philadelphia’s issues; he worked to address them. Whether calling out gun violence in his lyrics or donating $10,000 to his old elementary school, QUA’s love for the city was loud and proud.
But even that love wasn’t strong enough to protect him from the violence he railed against so frequently.
It was around 4:45 P.M. on May 11, near M Street and East Luzerne in the Juniata Park section. The police said it had appeared that QUA and a buddy had been the victims of a robbery that escalated into senseless violence. Surveillance video footage showed two men lurking in the area. Moments afterward, one was in a car and then a blur. The shot that killed QUA.
He was taken to Temple University Hospital, but by 5 P.M., his light was extinguished. So far, no arrests have been made, but officials are pursuing three suspects and sifting through other pieces of evidence. A $20,000 reward has been offered for information that results in an arrest and conviction. It is a high-stakes attempt to bring justice to a man who spent his days working to lift those around him up.
The news has devastated not just fans but peers like Meek Mill, who mourned in the comments of his Instagram post. “Killing ambitious young bulls like this on Mother’s Day is a Philly thing to do,” he wrote. “This will change you. My prayers go out to your family, and let’s get those guns.” It’s sad out here.”
And then there’s QUA’s mother, Tamara Davis, a woman who spent this Mother’s Day waiting for a hug that never came. “It’s painful because I’m still waiting for my son to come up the block and tell me happy Mother’s Day,” she said. “I didn’t even get to hug my son for Mother’s Day. In my heart, I have to believe that I will see my son again.”
For a city no stranger to tragedy, QUA’s death is particularly harsh. A life was taken while attempting to celebrate the very person who had given it. The violence he sought to overcome stopped a man who worked for peace . Now, Philadelphia waits, holding its collective breath, mourning, seething, but also hoping that justice will work its way through for QUA, his mother, and all the young voices he attempted to shelter.
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