Ludacris Recalls The Moment From George Floyd’s Funeral That Hit Him The Hardest
Ludacris was one of the celebrity guests invited to George Floyd’s funeral and says the experience impacted him in a profound way.
Appearing on an episode of Quibi’s Musicology with Tim Kash, the Atlanta rapper reflected on the nationally-televised funeral at North Central University’s Frank J. Lindquist Sanctuary in Minneapolis last month and the “emotional” moment that hit him the hardest.
"Believe it or not, the number one topic between me and Kevin while we were there was how devastating it was when Reverend Al Sharpton talked about George Floyd calling out for his mom seconds before his death," he said. "I did not know that his mother was not still alive and I learned that as well when I was at the memorial service."
He continued: "And as you know, Kevin Hart has lost his mother. And I think that hit both of us very hard when that was said because he was calling out for his mom almost as if she was there waiting for him with open arms or he knew he was about to die. When someone calls out for their mom, there's just so many emotions that come with that."
Luda says Floyd’s death has led to at least discussion about police brutality and race nationwide, but it shouldn’t have taken another death for that to happen.
"So yes, we were able to talk about change ... in talking to the family and trying to go and do certain things that would encourage people to step up, to help underserved communities," he concluded. "But that was the most emotional part for us -- was that part about George Floyd calling out for his mom and it touched me."
Ludacris also discussed other things he learned from the funeral, including hearing from the mother of Darnella Frazier, the 17-year-old who filmed Floyd’s death.
"One very important thing was the young lady who was recording the majority of the video that everyone sees online," he recalled. "She's still so traumatized man. And her mother was there and really kind of speaking up for her because she's still going through this process of how hard it was for her to witness that and for her to record that."
Luda added: "And you know being a voice for the people that are going through traumatic times is one lesson, which just continues to inspire and motivate me to do everything that I can because I have a voice."
George Floyd was killed by former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin on May 25. Four former officers have since been arrested and charged for their involvement in the 46-year-old’s death, including Chauvin.
On June 3, Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison upgraded the charges against Chauvin to Second Degree murder for the death of Floyd on and also charged the three other officers involved, J Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane with aiding and abetting murder. The three officers were fired and have remained under investigation since the day after Floyd died.
Floyd’s Minneapolis funeral took place on June 4, 10 days after he was killed.
Watch the full interview below.
