Nahel M, the 17-year-old killed during a violent confrontation with police, played a prominent role in a gangster rap video published last month.
The video is from big-name rapper Julien Mari, AKA JuL. He has sold millions of albums. The song is called Ragner and was filmed at various immigrant ghettos in France. Throughout the video, groups of young males pretend to hold guns. It is a celebration of thug culture. Nahel is featured during the second half of the video.
On July 27th, Nahel was driving a bright yellow high-dollar Mercedes-AMG car. He had no driver’s license; you must be 18 in France. His supporters on Twitter claim the car was rented, but you must be over 18 and have a valid license to rent a car. Most rental car companies in France require you to be 21 or older. Even in the gangster rap video, Nahel is shown on a motocross bike. The other characters are shown riding mopeds and tiny motorcycles. How does a 17-year-old, who is not even old enough to drive, access a high-dollar car in France?
The police saw him run a red light while driving in the bus lane. He was already known to the local police because of multiple previous confrontations. They tried to pull him over, and he fled. Eventually, he got stuck in traffic, and the police caught up with him. The cops beg him to cooperate, and he stomps on the gas. The car hits one of the cops, causing him to fire his gun. Nahel was shot and killed.
