DALLAS — It was a sea of red in front of Dallas City Hall as friends, family, and fans gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of Melvin Noble, better known as Mo3, during a candlelight vigil and balloon release. Noble was shot and killed on Nov. 11.
Rainwater was just one of many people who took to the stage to reflect on the Dallas-based rapper’s impact in his community and beyond.
“He was just a good representation for the city,” said Rainwater of the McKinney native. “He owned all his masters. He didn’t let nobody own him. We did it by ourselves with no money and he died a legend out here, so you can’t do anything but respect his history.”
Beyond business partners, Rainwater described the two as being inseparable.
“I lost my best friend,” he said. “I talked to him every day for six or seven years.”
Authorities say just before noon on Nov. 11, Noble was traveling northbound on I-35 at Clarendon Drive when he was approached by a suspect driving a dark-colored vehicle. The suspect exited his vehicle with a firearm and approached Noble, causing him to leave his car and run southward onto the freeway, per a police report. The suspect reportedly fired multiple rounds at Noble as he chased him down, ultimately striking him. An innocent bystander was also struck with a bullet while sitting in his vehicle during the incident.
“We’re hurt,” said Rischod King on the death of Noble. “We’re lost for words.”
Noble was taken to an area hospital where he died from his injuries, while police say the innocent bystander, also taken to a local hospital, was expected to survive since his injuries were not life-threatening.
“Mo3 ain’t gone,” King said. “He left a legacy. He left footprints. He left the blueprint. He’s going to live on forever through me, through [Numba] 7… through Boosie [BadAzz] and through the fam.”
Whether it was through his lyrics or his desire to help others in need, King says Noble worked hard on changing the narrative about people like him who started with nothing.
“He impacted people in a positive way,” King said. “People loved that dude and he loved the people. Nobody else in the “D” gave back to the hood like bro gave back to the hood. Long live Mo3.”
For a brief moment, Boosie BadAzz, who worked with Mo3 on BadAzz Mo3, a joint album, briefly spoke about his friend and colleague, causing an uproar in the crowd.
“I appreciate all the times we shared together,” said Boosie BadAzz, whose real name is Torrence Hatcher.
He was in town to celebrate his birthday, according to his posts on Facebook. A day later, police say he was taken to a local hospital for injuries to his leg during a shooting near Big T Plaza in Oak Cliff. Boosie BadAzz did not provide authorities with details as they described him “uncooperative” with their investigation.
As of now, police have no reason to believe the shootings were connected. Despite not giving police details on the shooting, he did update fans on his status.
“I’m all right (sic) yall (sic),” he wrote on Facebook.
After several people paid tribute to Mo3 with words, the crowd joined together to release red and white balloons into the sky. Many captured the moment of the balloons drifting into the night’s sky on their phones while others chanted “Long Live Mo3” as they held their lit candles.
The recent shooting prompted social activist Lelani Russell to enlighten the crowd on the importance of supporting each other rather than trying to tear one another down, which she referred to as the 'crabs in a barrel' mentality that’s plagued the Black community for years.
“I love my people and I love being Black,” she said. “But, I understand that there’s a system that is against us and it has gone on for generations and generations that have made us hate each other, because it’s the Willie Lynch syndrome. We need to love each other more. It starts with us.”
Getting multiple “amen’s” from the crowd, Russell also addressed Black-on-Black crime as an ongoing issue within the community.
“We need to stop killing people who do not have the opportunity to oppress us, they have no power over us,” said Russell. “They can’t do anything for us or against us over some petty beef. So, getting to the root of the problem and getting us to really love each other and understand that’s it’s a bigger picture – we’re fighting the system, we’re fighting coronavirus and we got to fight each other. It’s time for us to stop fighting each other, we have enough to fight.”
Although he’s no longer here physically, Mo3’s success in the rap industry working with super producers like Jazze Phe and artists such as Kevin Gates show just where hard work mixed with determination will take someone, according to his friends.
“His story lets people know that anything is possible out here,” said Rainwater.
Anyone with information about the deadly shooting of Mo3 should contact Det. Chris Anderson at (214) 671-3616 or email him at c.anderson@dallascityhall.com and reference case number 201916-2020.