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12/28/2005 The morning of Saturday, July 9 started off like every other lazy summer day in Virginia. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, but something wasn't right. In a quiet Richmond neighborhood, many people were milling about outside of the apartment complex of Esan Jordan, an up-and-coming rapper in the Richmond-based group The Burglars, as whispers of his murder permeated throughout the crowd. Jordan's close friend, Nickelus F, was one of the first to find out about the shocking murder of Jordan, who is known as E-Skummy within the Hip Hop world. "I was called that morning, right before my alarm went off," Nick remembers. "I had to be in at work at 8:00, and I had my alarm set for 7:15. My boy Whims called me at 7:08. What's crazy is that before I answered the phone or anything, I just had that feeling that something bad had happened. When Whims told me that Esan had died, it didn't hit me. I got up, brushed my teeth, and went straight to work. I even tried calling Esan's cell phone, but it went straight to voicemail. I hadn't even cried up to that point. Then once I clocked in at work, it hit me and I broke down. Then I had to call everyone else and let them know what happened." Radio B, a close friend and neighbor of Jordan, missed the call from Nickelus. "I woke up and I had missed a call on my phone, and it was Nick. Nick usually doesn't call me that early in the morning, but I didn't think anything of it. I called him back, and he was saying, 'Tell me what I'm hearing isn't true.' I didn't even know what he was talking about, but then he tried to tell me about what happened and I could hear him breaking down. It took about an hour for it to hit me, but once I saw Nick and Lil' Lee (member of The Burglars), we started bawling. It was terrible. It was one of the worst days of my life." While all of Jordan's friends have certainly been affected by his untimely death, perhaps no one's grief can compare to that of the woman who birthed Esan, Hazel Jordan. "He loved life," she remembers. "He was a fun person. He put a lot of time into his rapping. It was one of the best things for him. He was so excited about it. He would tell me and everyone he was in contact with that he would be a famous rapper. I was like, 'Ok.' I never took him seriously because he was always joking around. I told him, 'You better go back to school because not everybody makes it in this rapping world.' He said, 'Ok, you'll see.' I thought that at least if rapping didn't work out, he would have school to fall back on." Unfortunately, Jordan would never make it back to the classroom after dropping out of high school, which he viewed as optional. He quickly lost his patience with high school and presented his mother with a deal: he would take the test for a G.E.D. If he passed, he would not return to high school, but if he failed, he would go back. No one expected young Esan to pass, but he would prove his doubters wrong, as he would on many future occasions, by earning his G.E.D. Passing the G.E.D.'s was not good enough for Mrs. Jordan. She would constantly encourage her son to apply to college. Esan said he would go back, but only to learn about music. Instead of applying to colleges, Jordan began working at a day care in New Jersey, where he quickly became a favorite among the children he cared for. "He would tell me how the kids loved him so much," Mrs. Jordan remembers. "I was so happy that he was doing that, especially because he was only 18. The kids used to call him 'Mr. Esan.' One of his favorite children had Autism, and he loved working with him. The principal and teachers loved him." Jordan was an easy person to get along with, as his magnetic personality helped him make friends wherever he went. "Wherever he goes, you're just drawn to him right away," Mrs. Jordan remembers. "His smile alone is all it takes. Since he was a little boy, everybody loved him. He had such a wonderful personality. I just can't understand why anyone would want to kill somebody like Esan. He's an easy-going and fun-loving person." Jordan proved to his mother at an early age that he had a maturity far beyond his years. Every day after school, the six-year old Jordan would ride the bus home and let himself into the family's empty Brooklyn apartment. Mrs. Jordan was working in Manhattan, and Mr. Jordan was working in Newark, which meant that little Esan would take care of himself until his parents came home. He developed a ritual everyday of letting himself in, calling his mother to let her know he was home safe, making himself a sandwich, and starting his homework. "I used to worry about him a lot, but I knew I never needed to," Mrs. Jordan said. Jordan loved New York because he so close to his family. "He loved family. He was very family-oriented," Mrs. Jordan says. "He would try to see all of his relatives in one weekend. He would never go to New York and not try to visit his family. He would see his aunts, his cousins, and everybody loved him so much. One of his cousins told me about how everyone used to fight over him. She said, 'We don't want to share Esan with anybody. We just want him to stay with us.'" Mrs. Jordan saw great potential in her son and thought it would be best for Esan to trade their crime-ridden Brooklyn neighborhood for a quiet country home in Virginia. Esan left his job at the day care as the Jordan's packed for Virginia. "I said, 'Let me take him out of New York and take him someplace where he could probably live a better life. There was so much crime and I thought I was doing the best thing for him by taking him out of New York," Mrs. Jordan remembers. Jordan quickly took to Virginia the way caterpillars adapt to new wings. He quickly made friends and began to take rapping seriously. Radio B remembers his first encounter with Jordan: "I remember when I first met Skum. It was at this barbershop that I had been going to since high school. I was known for rapping at this particular shop. When Skum came in, a lot of people didn't know who he was. He was just getting into rap. We exchanged verses. It wasn't a battle, but more like a friendly cipher. Then Skum got locked up for awhile and the shop moved. Later on, we exchanged verses again. This time it was different. Everyone could tell that he really improved. I didn't even know him as 'Skum' at the time, he was just 'Esan' to me. I just respected his craft and how hungry he was, and the respect that he gave me." Jordan, who was becoming locally-known as E-Skummy, began looking for outlets to showcase his growing talent. E-Skummy began creating opportunities for himself by recruiting the entire Burglar squad, which included Nickelus F (also known as Nick Fury), Lil' Lee, 5 Mics, and J.R. the Waiter. Nickelus F, who would quickly become the front-man of the group, remembers meeting E-Skummy for the first time. "I actually met Skum through Lil' Lee," he says. "Around here, everyone knows each other. I remember the first time Lee brought Skum around. We just clicked right away. It was one of those "real recognize real" type things." The freshly-formed Burglars started hitting the studio together and performing locally. The group would face many trials and tribulations, but E-Skummy would always be the glue that held everyone together. Radio B remembers, "There were certain people in the Burglars that did their own thing and slacked at times, and Skum would always keep a fire under them. He was always busy, and if you weren't busy, he would try to figure out why you weren't busy. He was a great person to be around." Skum's work ethic would be an essential characteristic of his "lead by example" philosophy. Many of his friends say he would have lived in the studio if it were possible. Radio B remembers Skum telling him, "I don't know how anyone can go a week without recording. I have to stay in the booth." Radio B remembers, "He was constantly in the booth and he'd do whatever he had to do to stay in the booth. He was not the type of person to ever waste time. He never wasted a minute. He was always on the move." Nickelus F also holds a deep admiration for Skum's hunger, "He had that love and hunger. He worked fast too, and he'd always hold his weight in the booth." He adds, "You also never knew what to expect anytime he went in." E-Skummy was also known among his friends as being a master at networking. He was famous for going to events and introducing himself to everyone. Once he found out what everyone did, he would take their numbers and call them the next day. He would persistently call everyone until they were able to do what he needed them to. Richmond heavyweight Skillz fondly remembers E-Skummy's work ethic, "Skummy was a hustler. And when I say that, I mean it in a good way. When he wanted something, he would not stop until it got finished. I admired that in him. I told him I was going to do something for him, and he never let me forget it. He'd always be like, 'Yo dog, I need that. I'm trying to make it pop.'" The last memory Skummy left us of his unsurpassed drive was his midnight journey to Jersey City to record a track with the A-Team. He had been in contact with the A-Team about doing a track, and they were open to the collaboration. However, no one in the A-Team expected Skummy to follow through, as many up-and-coming rappers are all talk and no action. Skummy would again surpass everyone's expectations of him, as he showed up outside the A-Team manager's apartment at the crack of dawn, ready to work. They went to the studio together to create the track "NJ to VA." Later that day, Skummy drove back to Richmond. Unfortunately, E-Skummy would never be able to hear the mastered version of "NJ to VA," as he was murdered a few days after his return to Richmond. He was murdered in cold blood in his kitchen. Mrs. Jordan says, "It's horrible. Just at the time when he was getting it all together. I prayed for the day when he would mature into a nice young man doing the right thing and settling down. He was just getting to that point." E-Skummy was also maturing as an emcee. Those close to him noticed his improved song-writing ability. One song that truly showed his ever-growing talent was "Four-Page Letter." Skummy gave us all a piece of himself with lyrics like, "All I can do is be myself, I can take your word for it but I'd rather see for myself." Nickelus F says, "That song, to me, is like 2Pac's "I Ain't Mad At'cha." You know how people say that life is like a movie and everything seems so scripted sometimes? Everything that's happened seems so scripted and that song is the theme music to everything. If you listen to what he's saying, it's an explanation of everything that happened. Before he passed, Skum and I had some real heart-to-heart conversations. We talked about stuff happening, and he had a bad feeling about things because he felt things were going too well." Con Artist, who produced "Four-Page Letter" as well as around 50 other tracks with Skummy, says, "I still can't listen to that song in its entirety today. It still feels unreal to me." While "Four-Page Letter" shows a very serious side of Esan Jordan, those close to him remember his great sense of humor. Mrs. Jordan remembers how "he would make you laugh your pants off, just by him laughing. Sometimes, it wasn't even a big joke, but the way he would go down on the ground, there would be tears in our eyes just from watching him. He would light up the room. As long as he was in the room, it was always lively." Radio B says, "Skum was a comedian. Skum was one of the funniest guys that I have ever known. He was a fun spirit. He could be real serious, but he would always joke on you and was always having fun." E-Skummy was also the self-proclaimed "Dirtbag." "He definitely wore that nickname with pride," Radio B says. "I'm the type of guy that likes to keep himself up. I like to have fresh clothes and manicures, and Skum would frown on guys like me, like, 'You think its cool getting manicures? You think that's cool?' Skum embraced the whole dirtbag image. That was him. That was his character, and he really did encompass that on a day-to-day basis. If you called him a 'Dirtbag,' he'd take it as a compliment. In his eyes, that's an honor." Nickelus F agrees, "Being called a 'Dirtbag' was definitely a compliment for Skum. That was a good thing to him. He would pick his nose and fart in front of a girl if he wanted to. He definitely earned the title 'Dirtbag.'" The death of Hip Hop's favorite dirtbag has left everyone grieving in different ways. Mrs. Jordan has still not gone through his clothes or music. 5 Mics and J.R. have been missing in action. Lil' Lee took some time off, but is now back to rocking the mic on a consistent basis. Radio B is still recording, as is Nickelus F. About a week after the death of E-Skummy, Nick hit the studio to record a tribute to his fallen friend, "I Miss My Skum." Nick talks about the song, "That song tells the story about what happened when I found out about his death. I couldn't write the song immediately after his death. It took me awhile. It was a good week at least. It took me awhile to write it as well. The first verse wasn't hard because I was just telling the story. The second verse was difficult because that's when I was talking directly to Skum. 'We were supposed to get rich together.' I still cry to this day about it. I miss him, and it's never going to change. It's always going to hurt. Every time I do something, I'm just going to wish that Skum could be there to see it." Nickelus F has no plans to give up on his rap dreams. In fact, he has a newfound drive to succeed, because he realizes that is what E-Skummy would want him to do. Lil' Lee is also working hard on his music, as he is putting the finishing touches on a new mixtape. Despite Nickelus and Lil' Lee continuing to work hard, the future of the Burglars remains unknown. No one knows if J.R. the Waiter or 5 Mics will step in the booth again. Would E-Skummy be happy with how the Burglars have fallen apart since his death? "To be honest with you, no. It definitely would not have been in his wishes for things to be the way they are now. He definitely wouldn't be happy to see how things have gone since his passing," Radio B answers. While his rap team may have fallen apart, Mrs. Jordan will always have something special to remember her son by. Jordan wrote his mother a song expressing his love for her and apologizing for any pain that he may have caused her throughout the years. Mrs. Jordan says, "He made me a beautiful song. That song had everybody crying. He gave me a copy of it before he died. He made it for me about a year ago. I thought that was so touching of him to do that. Not many kids would apologize for things they did to their parents. He apologized for everything he did that he thought was wrong." Mrs. Jordan wants everyone to remember her son for his positive impact he made on those he touched. "I want everyone to look at all the positive things that he did. I know he made a difference with the people he was close to. People looked up to him. Esan was such a loving person. Everyone loved him. It doesn't matter how old or how young someone was, he could make them laugh. He loved kids," Mrs. Jordan says. "They always say the good die young, but I'm not satisfied with that. I could have understood if he was sick or had gotten into an accident, but for somebody to go and kill him, I can not understand. I don't know why someone would want to kill him at the peak of his music career. That's the thing that upsets me the most. All of the little time and money he had, he put into the music. All the sleepless nights, he put into his music, and it was all taken away from him." Radio B wants everyone to remember the death of E-Skummy being "a big loss for Hip Hop. Skum was a person that would definitely bring integrity back into the game. Right now, there's a lack of integrity in the game and people are not talking about real things. A lot of people are lying. Skum wasn't about telling lies. I've always appreciated that about him and I always felt the world would appreciate that about him. Whenever you hear about a situation where somebody lost their life over some senselessness, think of Skum and that his talent was taken away from him and people will never be able to see his full talent." Nickelus F wants everyone to remember E-Skummy through his music. "He was real," he says. "That's what I stress. He was real and he was honest. I can't stress that enough. I'll listen to his music and it'll take me right back to something that happened. When you listen to him, everything that you're hearing is real." Nickelus F, Lil' Lee, and Radio B have many plans to keep E-Skummy's legacy alive. On a day-to-day basis, everyone shouts out E-Skummy on almost every song. Further plans include dedicating songs on everyone's future mixtapes and albums to E-Skummy's solo material. There are also around 1,000 Burglar songs and around 200 E-Skummy songs in the vault. Mrs. Jordan and manager Hugh Mulzac are currently deciding what to do with his music. Mrs. Jordan and Mulzac also started a foundation in Jordan's name. Some closure has been brought to this situation, as there has been a conviction in his murder. However, that will never bring back Esan Jordan, dedicated son, father, boyfriend, friend, and emcee. Mrs. Jordan remembers a conversation she had recently with one of Jordan's friends, "He said, 'I just called to talk to you Mrs. Jordan. I just don't understand why God would take Esan. He was the leader of our group [of friends], the life of our group, and the peacemaker of our group. He was always the one that made everyone get along. I don't know why God would take Esan. Virginia is so lonely without Esan.' All everyone can do, from Mrs. Jordan to Nick to Tierra (Jordan's longtime girlfriend) to Tierra's child Nasem (whom Jordan was helping raise), is pray and remember the good times. Mrs. Jordan says, "Every time I am in Virginia, I feel it. I know something is missing. Virginia is so lonely without Esan." Download 730 and H-Dollar Present E-Skummy - Hitman for Hire (dropped Spring '05) HERE

By Brian Kayser

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