OG Cuicide Pulls From His Roles as Family Man, Former Gangbanger and Suicide Preventionist for OGs Are Forever

Nearly 30 years ago, Darnell Price attempted to take his own life. After spending much of his adolescence selling drugs, gangbanging and essentially being homeless, he saw a loaded handgun as his only choice. As some of his friends looked on in horror, the then-22-year-old pulled the trigger. He later awoke at a hospital to find that the bullet, although permanently lodged in his skull, had not penetrated his brain. Not long after, a friend convinced him to start rapping over some beats, and Price found his purpose. He soon adopted the ironic moniker OG Cuicide. 

Since then, Cuicide has spread his message of positivity and persistence through full-length albums, singles and mixtapes. He has also dedicated countless hours to bringing proper suicide-prevention techniques to schools and youth groups. Last month, he premiered on BET Jams a new music video for the song “Know My Pain,” a relatable, uplifting anthem for anyone who feels alone in whatever personal struggles they might be facing. 

His latest album, OGs Are Forever, continues his mission. The storyteller connects with his audience through 19 songs that reflect his personal experiences, his signature gritty voice and distinctive flow carrying a certain wisdom. 

While it does have a healthy dose of infectious melodic hooks and thumpy, bass-driven grooves in the classic West Coast G-funk style, the album also features some experimentation—from rapping over a beat that’s built almost entirely around an acoustic guitar to adopting a more contemporary trap vibe. 

The album’s first track, “December 31, 1991,” is a spine-chilling re-enactment of that fateful day, complete with an audible heartbeat, gunshot and subsequent hospital sound effects. Although it does set a somber and serious tone, the next track, “On My Grind (featuring Indee B.),” is an uplifting anthem about working hard to achieve your goals. 

“Rebellion” and “Everything” were written for one of his sons and his wife, respectively. While the latter is essentially a love note/thank you to his wife, the lyrics to the former read like any father’s advice to his children: “I ain’t trying to run your life; I’m just trying to lead/I’m your father, not your homeboys in the street/When I speak, all I ask is that you listen/Don’t let it in one ear and out the other driftin’.” 

However, the track “Triple Death” shows a very different side of the artist, one before he became an inspirational speaker and family man. The lyrics paint a picture of a much younger man who thought gangbanging was his only option, set to one of the most irresistibly head-bobbing beats on the album and with a feature from Kali Red. 

OGs Are Forever also has a few party songs that aren’t difficult to imagine hearing in a club. The funnest three-and-a-half minutes on the album are contained in “Shut Shit Down,” and the climactic final track, “Homage,” with G-funk legend Kurupt, features a string of catchy choruses and a beat that’s impossible to get sick of. 

Since moving to Buena Park in 2001, Cuicide has been on his grind as an entrepreneur, family man and suicide-prevention advocate. But regardless of the role he fills on any given day, the rapper will always be an OG.