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We heard this week of the death of Los Angeles filmmaker and hip-hop historian Gregory “G Bone” Everett from COVID-19 complications. According to a statement from his family, Everett died Sunday at a hospital after weeks of struggling with the virus. He was 58 years old.
Everett was an important figure in South L.A. and West Coast hip-hop history. Everett is best known for the 2010 documentary 41st & Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Chapter of the Black Panther Party. Everett was the son of a member of the Black Panthers himself.
We talked to activist Cliff Smith about Everett's legacy in South L.A.
Smith compared Everett’s work with Nipsey Hussle, emphasizing the importance that Everett came out of the community himself.
Smith told LAist that they were both:
“Getting recognition and acclaim for their talent and their skills, but they still have a deep connection to this community of South Los Angeles — the history of it, and the struggle. It’s a different kind of loss than had it been some celebrity filmmaker that had done the same film from outside.”
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