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Dispute With Gucci Mane Over Paying For Funeral Expenses Brings Life Insurance Policies Into Focus

Dispute With Gucci Mane Over Paying For Funeral Expenses Brings Life Insurance Policies Into Focus

insurance

Big Scarr, YouTube screenshot

Memphis hip-hop artist Big Scarr died on Dec. 22 as a result of a fatal prescription pain medication overdose, his family told TMZ. Big Scarr was an up-and-coming artist signed to hip-hop veteran Gucci Mane’s 1017 Global record label. And some family members are arguing with Mane over covering funeral costs, which would indicate that Big Scarr did not have life insurance to cover his burial.

Big Scarr’s uncle, Arthur Woods, told TMZ the emcee overdosed on prescription pills at his girlfriend’s house in Memphis.

https://twitter.com/saycheesedgtl/status/1612538993241100289?s=61&t=WL4_Xc7w8cEtTIilVN0xcA

While Woods wasn’t sure how his nephew got the medication, he did indicate the artist had suffered two major life traumas.

The 22-year-old artist got his stage name from a car accident when he was 16. It accident a big scar on his body from when he was thrown through a windshield. Then, in 2020 Big Scarr was shot and the bullet traveled up his spine. This led to him needing surgery to remove his appendix.

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The battle over Gucci Mane’s paying for his artist’s funeral raged with Big Scarr collaborator Quezz Ruthless accusing Mane of taking back offer to pay.

“Them people called your phone to see if you was gon’ pay for the funeral, you blocked them. That’s not real. On God, that’s not real. That ain’t straight…You are trying to act all real. You posted Scarr, talking ’bout some ‘Love Live him.’ You aint’ do nothing,” Quezz posted on Instagram, XXL reported

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But Gucci Mane’s wife, Keyshia Ka’oir, pushed back and provided receipts showing her husband donated $20,000 to help pay for Big Scarr’s funeral. The receipts indicate Gucci Mane made two $10,000 donations, for a total of $20,000.

Despite the evidence of the donation, Big Scarr’s sister, Alexandra Woods, complained the donation wasn’t large enough and that the money only helped pay for flowers and obituaries.

https://twitter.com/saycheesedgtl/status/1612538993241100289?s=61&t=WL4_Xc7w8cEtTIilVN0xcA

“That 10K ain’t help with nothing but obituaries and flowers, boo,” Alexandra said, seemingly addressing proof brought forward by Ka’oir. “My brother worth more than 10K.”

“Yea, Gucci sent $10,000,” Alexandra continued. “And somebody else on another team. So, it was $20,000 in all. And we ain’t get the flowers. I don’t give a fuck what nobody says…Anyway, the funeral getting paid for regardless. That little-ass money. That’s why we said he didn’t help…That wasn’t enough. My brother funeral was 60K in all.”

While the family is battling with Gucci Mane over money for the funeral, many on Twitter said the main issue is that it would seem Big Scarr did not have life insurance, which would have helped pay for his funeral.

“Not getting into the specifics of this situation but this situation leads me to think of how more Black people & poc need to invest in life insurance policies. When we die, our families shouldn’t have to count on gofudnmes or someone else to pay for our services,” tweeted political candidate Anthony V. Clark, who ran as a Democrat ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Illinois’ 7th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 17, 2020.

It’s not that Black people don’t buy insurance. In fact, Black Americans tend to view life insurance mainly as a way to pay for burial costs. The issue is that Black people tend not to carry lots of coverage. Black life insurance policyholders invest a lot less than their white counterparts.

“For decades, it was a standard practice at some insurance companies to charge Blacks more for products and offer them small face amount burial insurance that provided little value for the premium paid. These practices led to litigation and settlements that were resolved not that long ago,” Judy Hopkins, head of legal at Haven Life, told Forbes.

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There is a movement lately by Black people to look at life insurance as a wealth-building tool. A recent survey from Haven Life found that 22 percent of Black people value life insurance as a way to pass along generational wealth, compared to only 8 percent of white respondents.

A misconception about the costs of life insurance has deterred some Block people from investing in policies. Price also is a consideration. A study released by LIMRA and Life Happens showed that Americans often overestimate the cost of life insurance. The Haven Life survey revealed that Black Americans without life insurance thought the cost of coverage was 30 percent higher than white Americans without life insurance did.

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https://twitter.com/youloveciaraaaa/status/1612519914530562076?s=61&t=WL4_Xc7w8cEtTIilVN0xcA

Big Scarr, YouTube screenshot, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmnBRAIpZpY&t=54s