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Many people have never heard of Dr. Sebi, a Honduran herbalist, biologist and self-proclaimed healer, who passed away on August 6, 2016, and the fact that nobody really talks about Dr. Sebi, née Alfredo Darrington Bowman, and his alleged cures for cancer and AIDS, was a wildly surreal concept to rapper Nipsey Hussle. So, he decided to make a documentary on the controversial healer. But this documentary may now never come to be. On March 31, Hussle was shot and killed outside his shop in Los Angeles, California.
The documentary, which followed the 1985 court trial in which Dr. Sebi proved he had a cure for AIDS, allegedly contained evidence that the government assisted in Dr. Sebi’s death. In the aftermath of Hussle’s death, he leaves behind two children and partner, Lauren London.
Here’s what you need to know about Nipsey Hussle’s Dr. Sebi documentary:
1. Nipsey Hussle Believed Dr. Sebi’s Story Was a ‘Powerful Narrative’
During a radio interview with The Breakfast Club, Sebi said, “I am working on doing doc on the trial in 1985. When Dr. Sebi went to trial in New York because he put in the newspaper that he cured AIDS. He beat the case. Then he went to federal court the next day, and he beat that case. But nobody talks about it.”
As to why he felt the need to go through the lengths of making a documentary film about him Hussle said, “I think the story is important. It’s a powerful narrative. Like if someone in this room said, ‘Hey, I cured AIDS.’ I’d be like yeah, right. And then I can show you an example of him going to trial and proving in court he proved AIDS, I’d be interested in it. More so than championing his products or explaining his methodology. Put some light on that case.”
2. Dr. Sebi Believed He Found the Cure for AIDS, Cancer, Diabetes, & Blindness
While he was not a licensed physician, he built a cult-like following for his all natural remedies, formulas, tonics, and supplements. He believed that food was alkaline for the body, and that dead foods killed the body’s ability to heal itself.
Therefore, he recommended a strict vegan diet, and cut out all foods he considered to be toxic: alcohol, sugar, iodized salt, meat, poultry, seafood. Once those foods were replaced with fresh fruit, vegetables, healthy grains and nut butter, he believed the body would earn back its natural healing powers. By following this regimented diet, he believed he has found the cure to cancer, AIDS, diabetes and blindness.
3. Dr. Sebi Won a Court Case by Bringing Forward 77 Patients With AIDS He Said He Helped Heal
In 1988, Dr. Sebi bought ads promoting his food diet in the Amsterdam News, the Village Voice, and the New York Post saying that, “AIDS has been cured.” New York state attorney instructed him to take the ads down, claiming he was selling products not approved by the FDA, and practicing medicine without a license.
In court, Dr. Sebi said that he had cured every one of his patients that received his treatment. When the judge asked the natural healer to bring in one patient as evidence, Dr. Sebi provided 77 healed patients to the court, and he won the case.
However, this accomplishment was never celebrated or honored. The late pop star Michael Jackson, who was also one of his patients, took him down to Washington D.C. to meet with black Congressmen, but they received zero support for what his supporters said should’ve been considered the greatest medical breakthrough of the 20th century.
3. There Have Been Conspiracy Theories for Years the Government Had Dr. Sebi Killed
At 82-years-old, Dr. Sebi died in Honduras while in police custody and battling health problems from pneumonia. A few months earlier, Sebi had been arrested at Juan Manuel Gálvez de Roatan Airport for money laundering. At the time, he was boarding a plane with his business partner Pablo Medina Gamboa, and had $37,000 cash in his suitcase. After being released a few days later, Sebi was once again arrested by the Public Ministerio, Honduras’ equivalent of the FBI for money laundering, and remained in prison until he died en route to the hospital.
“When asked why people killed the holistic doctor?” Hussle said. “Why do they kill al holistic doctors? You’re messing up the medical industry. You’re shortstopping his grind. They checking billions. You’re playing with some pharmaceutical money.”
4. Dr. Sebi Had Numerous Famous Patients
His roster of clients included Michael Jackson, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez, John Travolta and Eddie Murphy, and because Dr. Sebi was paid handsomely for his services, it makes sense as to why he had so much cash on him while traveling between services.
Dr. Sebi’s family, which includes 17 children, were not able to get him out of jail. After his second arrest, no court date was scheduled and his bail was never set.
5. Nipsey Hussle Appeared to Have Been in the Early Stages of His Documentary
Now I don’t know much about this Nipsy Hussle situation but it’s not a shocker to me that he got gunned down after he announces that he’ll be doing a documentary on Dr.Sebi’s death. Smh. #pray4nipsyhussle #NipsyHussle
The theories surrounding Dr. Sebi’s arrest and eventual death stem from the fact that if his cure was correct, he would’ve bankrupted the medical community, according to those who believe in the theory. As they say, there’s no money in a cure, there’s money in sickness. And if the answer/cure is merely living a strictly healthy lifestyle, that also kills the entire diet pill and exercise community.
Also of note, for someone who was so healthy, and abided by his own regimen of natural foods and supplements, he only contracted pneumonia after he was in custody. Before his second arrest in June 2016, he was perfectly fine.
If Hussle’s documentary caught fire, like HBO’s Leaving Neverland or Netflix’s Ted Bundy series, the medical community would have a lot of negative press and millions of wrongful death lawsuits. Medical company CEOs would likely be sent to prison, as well as many government officials. The fallout, if everything surrounding Dr. Sebi is indeed true, would be a watershed moment in history.
In regards to connecting Hussle’s murder with Dr. Sebi’s, in the rapper’s 2018 radio interview, Hussle mispronounced Dr. Sebi’s name, and he didn’t name the correct year of his trial in New York. It seems the documentary was merely an idea, not nearing its way to completion. Unless Hussle made serious headway with the documentary since he last spoke about in April 2018, and he very well may have off the record, the connection between the two’s death may be a conspiracy.
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